national - Lone Star Outdoor News

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national - Lone Star Outdoor News
Texas’ Premier Outdoor Newspaper
January 27, 2006
Volume 2, Issue 11
QUEST FOR QUAIL
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w w w. l o n e s t a r o u t d o o r n e w s . c o m
World-class elk in Texas?
INSIDE
FISHING
Trophy bull takedown sparks classification debate on state’s elk population
By Mark England
Low water levels and warmer
temperatures have led
baitfish inland to Texas rivers as
they search for comfortable
conditions. That’s great news
for anglers, since redfish are
following the bait.
See Page 8
Ronnie Urbanczyk of Spring
Branch shot a mammoth elk with a
bow near Alpine in October — a
potential world-class trophy topping
an estimated 454 Boone and Crockett
points — but don’t look for it in the
record books.
The Boone and Crockett Club does-
n’t record elk taken from Texas, given
their status as a non-game animal and
lack of a hunting season.
But even without the official recognition, the animal was impressive
enough to spur Internet chat and
guarantee the elk received celebrity
status via photos e-mailed nationwide.
Urbanczyk was at the sprawling CF
Ranch, which covers more than 150
square miles of terrain ranging from
rolling grassland to rocky hillsides, to
hunt antelope when he saw some
impressive elk. The ranch advertises
its elk hunts starting at $7,000.
“These guys at the ranch had a ton
of good-looking elk,” said Urbanczyk,
who owns Urban Concrete in San NEAR ALPINE: Ronnie
Antonio. “We worked out a deal. Two Urbanczyk with his elk
days later, I caught one going to a estimated at 454 B&C
Youth-only
hunts gain
popularity
Two major BassFan
championships in 2006 will
benefit the Children’s Medical
Center of Dallas, the
organization has announced.
BassFan said the events will
continue the long charitable
tradition associated
with bass fishing.
See Page 8
By Mark England
T
he youth-only hunting weekend Jan. 21-22
gave Kevin Curtis and his stepson, Tyler
Deater, 13, what Curtis called a “high-five
experience.”
Tyler shot his first deer, a doe, on an Encinal
ranch.
“It was a ‘yes’ moment,” Curtis said. “It was like
scoring a touchdown because it dropped right
there.”
The football analogies come easily to Curtis, who
coaches freshman football at Schertz-Clemens High
School outside San Antonio. Finding time to go
hunting with Tyler, though, is another matter.
Come fall, football is a 7-day-a-week business.
That’s where the Texas Parks and Wildlife’s youthonly deer-hunting weekends — they’re held on one
weekend in October and January — came to Curtis’
rescue.
“It was something I came across on the Internet,”
Curtis said. “He’s been trying for a deer the last three
years. I was desperately trying to help him out.”
Robert Macdonald, TPW’s regulations coordinator, said the idea of such weekends is to provide a
“special time just for kids.” There are also youth-only
weekends for hunting turkeys, squirrels and waterfowl. At such times, in most Texas counties, the only
people who can legally hunt are those who are 16 or
younger.
“It’s a chance to focus on the kids, instead of
everything that goes on in the general season,”
Macdonald said. “It’s also an acknowledgement of
where our future hunters will come from.”
Jerry Warden calls such weekends, “true family
time.”
“It’s just them: the family and nature,” said
Warden, executive director of the Texas Youth
HUNTING
Despite the drought conditions
prevalent in Texas,
entries in this year’s big buck
contests are keeping
pace with the entries from
previous years — with as
many as eight scoring more
than 200 Boone and Crockett
points.
See Page 6
NATIONAL
The closing of a U.S. Repeating
Arms Company plant in
New Haven, Conn., this spring
means 186 people will
lose their jobs and a famous
Winchester deer-hunting
rifle will be discontinued.
See Page 4
CONSERVATION
A grant from the U.S. Fish and
Wildlife Service will
help restore the wetlands at
Galveston’s North Deer
Island, the largest rookery in
the Galveston Bay system.
Aiding in the project will be a
coalition of
conservation organizations.
See Page 5
DEPARTMENTS
Across the Nation
Page 5
Migratory Bird Report
Product Picks
Page 7
Page 13
Heroes
Page 14
Crossword Puzzle
Page 15
Wild in the Kitchen
Page 15
Weather
Page 15
Game Warden Blotter
Page 16
Outdoor Datebook
Page 17
Fishing Report
Page 18
See ELK, Page 11 (green score).
YOUNG HUNTERS: Youth-only weekends in the outdoors, which surfaced almost 10 years ago, are often
a weekend for first kills.
Netters, drought haunt
Falcon’s white bass fame
By Diana Kunde
Largemouth bass fishing isn’t the
only hot topic at Falcon International
Reservoir these days.
Mention the lack of white bass — a
situation that has drawn the attention
of officials and made anglers mad
enough to draw their weapons on net-
ters — and you’ll get an earful.
“I fish the lake pretty much every
weekend,” says Kike Ramerez of
Zapata. “They’re (white bass) not back
at all.”
TPW doesn’t stock lakes with white
bass, which have historically been prolific in Texas — and helped make
Falcon famous years ago. In a recent
See FALCON, Page 11
See YOUTH, Page 10
PRSRT STD
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Page 4 January 27, 2006
NATIONAL
U.S. Winchester maker closes
End of era for Model 70 and 94 rifles
U.S. Repeating Arms Company
announced it will cease operations
March 31, ending a 140-year tradition of manufacturing firearms in
New Haven, Conn.
Winchester’s brief release characterized the closure as a “business
decision” made after exhausting “all
available options.” The decision
puts 186 manufacturing employees
out of work, and at this time brings
to an end the Model 70 and 94 rifles
and Model 1300 shotgun.
Winchester Firearms will continue to offer the Select line of over and
under shotguns, the Super X3
autoloading shotgun, their new
Super X autoloading rifle and
Limited Edition rifles. Further, the
company stated it had plans to
introduce “new models” in the
future, with no changes in customer
service.
Winchester’s Scott Grange told
The Outdoor Wire the decision
“makes us ill that people lives and
jobs are impacted.” But, he continued, 10 years of “trying to use all
options to make the facility profitable” led the company’s board to
decide to simply cease operations at
the New Haven facility.
“We’ve done all we can to make it
work,” Grange said. “It was a purely
financial decision. The board in
Belgium (Herstal, purchasers of US
RAC in 1987) just decided we couldn’t go down that path any longer.”
Continuing to try and turn the
facility around, Grange said,
“would have led to greater financial
heartbreak down the road.”
While Winchester will continue
to offer their firearms manufactured in Europe and Japan, the
company says there are no plans to
move manufacturing of the 94, 70
or 1300 anywhere else.
Discontinued in 1963 and reintroduced in 1964, the Model 94,
modeled after the Model 1894, is
widely regarded as the rifle that
symbolized the classic American
firearms of the Old West. It still
remains as one of the most famous
deer-hunting rifles in American history.
The Model 1300 pump shotgun
was first introduced in 1978 and has
gone through a variety of offerings.
The future of the U.S. Repeating
Arms facility in New Haven is
unclear. Built in 1994, it is widely
regarded as being among the most
modern firearms manufacturing
facilities in the world.
Union officials have called on
New Haven officials to “do something” to prevent the closure, but
there appears little, if anything, the
city could do to force Herstal to continue operations of an unsuccessful
facility.
The International Association of
Machinists is almost a year into a
three-year contract in which they
agreed to several concessions in
order to keep the company in New
Haven. Workers said that after generations of families had worked at
the facility, its shuttering “didn’t
seem right.” A group of community
activists and union members have
already formed the Citizens Ad Hoc
Committee, pushing the city to use
legal options such as an injunction
to postpone the closing, based on
the fact the company will fail to live
up to employment-level agreements tied to abatements granted
to the company over the past ten
years.
New Haven Mayor John
DeStefano Jr. characterized the
decision as “personal,” telling the
New Haven Register the “gun that
won the West is about to be made in
the East (Asia).”
Both Connecticut and New
Haven have been subsidizing
USRAC’s operations over the past 10
years. New Haven has subsidized
$1.3 million in property taxes.
— An Outdoor Wire report by Jim
Shepherd, www.theoutdoorwire.com.
BASS revamps Federation Nation
In 2006 and beyond, BASS plans
to grow Federation Nation membership at the state, national and international levels by improving communication and member service,
offering more funding for conservation and more support for youth
and education. BASS said the goal is
to create a more rewarding experience for Federation Nation members.
In this year alone, BASS will offer
Federation Nation members benefits and exposure valued at nearly $4
million, including television and
magazine exposure, conservation
and youth programs and BASS
Insider, a special membership level
not offered before.
In 2007, new BASS Club competitions will be held between
Federation Nation six-angler BASS
Club teams in each state. During
the season, each state will send six
BASS Club teams to one of 10
regional championships in the
nation.
The top six teams at each of the
regional championships will move
on to the new BASS Federation
Nation
BASS
Club
World
Championship. The winning team
receives a fully rigged Triton boat
with Mercury Outboard for each
member, for a value of $250,000.
While the current BASS Federation
tournament structure will remain
intact this year, BASS will enhance
the trail in 2007 by allowing all state
and international Federations to
qualify their champion for the BASS
federation championship and will
pay the travel expenses for each contender and his spouse.
In addition to receiving highly
coveted berths in the CITGO
Bassmaster Classic, the six federation
championship winners will also be
awarded paid entry fees into their
choice of either the CITGO
Bassmaster Northern or Southern
Tour.
BASS will realign the divisional
tournaments into 10 regions, allowing every Federation Nation club
the opportunity to compete at a
new level of competition that
rewards club performance. Under
this format, 200 percent more
anglers from each state will compete, and they will do so in smaller
fields, making higher-level competi-
tion more affordable than ever
before.
“The Federation Nation will share
a common bond, a common goal, a
fraternal feel and a vested interest in
growing the sport,” said Don Rucks,
BASS vice president and general
manager.
Examples of what the Federation
Nation also will have:
•A
Conservation
College
Scholarship Program, awarding
$17,000 in scholarships annually
•A minimum of $50,000 nationally to state chapters for conservation efforts annually
•A Walt Disney World celebration for the two Junior BASSmaster
world champions
Ehanced member service will
include:
•Travel assistance for Federation
Nation state champions and
spouses
to
the
BASS
FederationNation Championship
•Travel assistance for Junior
World Championship contenders,
equaling more than $100,000
commitment to Federation Nation
families.
— A BASS report
ANSWERING THE CALL: Contestants do not know the turkey call they will be
asked to mimic until they go before the judges.
GIVE A YELP
Turkey callers set to sound off,
gobble up national honors
at Nashville competion
This year, the Wild Turkey
Bourbon/National Wild Turkey
Federation Grand National Calling
Contest will be held at the Gaylord
Opryland Resort and Convention
Center in Nashville, Tenn.
The competition will be part of
the
NWTF's
30th
annual
Convention and Sport Show, Feb.
23-26. Past winners have appeared
on "The Tonight Show with Jay
Leno," "Late Night with David
Letterman" and "Live with Regis
and Kelly."
Contestants are asked to perform
a plethora of calls — such as a hen's
"yelp", or the "cut of an excited
hen" — during the competition,
but have no idea which sounds
they'll be asked to mimic until they
are on stage and in front of the
judges. Judges are selected by the
NWTF and are experts on wild
turkeys and turkey calling.
Contestants receive scores based
on the accuracy of their calls.
All Senior Division contestants
are over age 21, and have won first
place in an NWTF-sanctioned
open, state or world division calling contest during the previous
year. The top five finalists from last
year's Wild Turkey Bourbon/NWTF
Grand
National
Calling
Championships are also eligible for
the competition. The Senior
Division preliminaries are slated to
begin at 9 a.m. Feb. 24.
New this year is the Senior
Division Friction Competition.
Competitors in this division will
use friction-only calls to mimic the
sounds of a hen turkey. The competition is set to begin at 2:30 p.m.
Feb. 23.
There will also be a Wild Turkey
Bourbon/NWTF Grand National
Gobbling Championship at 1 p.m.
Feb. 25 where the contestants will
be judged on their ability to imitate
the gobble of a wild turkey. The Owl
Hooting Championship will follow
the gobbling championship as
competitors perform their best
impressions of a barred owl. Owl
calls are often used to locate wild
turkey toms.
The Wild Turkey Bourbon/NWTF
Grand National Team Challenge is
scheduled for 11 a.m. Feb. 26. The
Rare Breed Champion of Champions
competition directly follows.
—A National Wild Turkey
Federation report
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January 27, 2006 Page 5
CONSERVATION
Grant targets Galveston Bay
system’s North Deer Island
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
has awarded a federal grant to Texas
Parks and Wildlife to fund more
than half of a $1.2 million project to
restore wetlands on North Deer
Island, the largest bird rookery
island in the Galveston Bay system.
The Texas grant was part of more
than $15 million in grants to 12
states to help acquire, restore and
protect coastal wetlands for longterm conservation benefits to
wildlife and habitat under the
National
Coastal
Wetlands
Conservation Grant Program.
North Deer Island in West
Galveston Bay is used each year by
up to 30,000 breeding pairs of 19
species of coastal-dependent birds,
including more than 1,000 nesting
pairs of federally listed brown pelican.
The North Deer Island project
will protect and restore over 135
acres of fish and wildlife habitats. In
Phase II to be funded by the federal
grant, Texas Parks and Wildlife and
project partners, will protect 82
acres of island habitat from erosion
and restore eight acres of estuarine
marsh.
The total cost of the project is
$1.24 million, with $653,300 of
that paid by the federal grant. The
partners share of the project will be
$587,000. Project partners include
the Galveston Bay Estuary Program,
Gulf of Mexico Program, USFWS
Coastal Program, Texas Genco’s
EcoCenter, Shell Marine Habitat
Program and Houston Audubon.
National
Coastal
Wetlands
Conservation grants are awarded to
states through a competitive
process. The program is funded
under provisions of the 1990
Coastal
Wetlands
Planning,
Protection and Restoration Act,
with money generated from excise
taxes on fishing equipment, and
motorboat and small engine fuels.
“These are win-win projects,”
said Dale Hall, U.S. Fish and
Wildlife Service director. “I’m very
excited when we’re able to leverage
the taxpayer dollar with our partners and get a lot more value for the
money.”
— A Texas Parks and Wildlife report
ACROSS THE NATION
Florida
College football player
bags state’s 10th highest
scoring buck
Cody Thomas of Savannah, Ga.,
had no idea he would be harvesting
Florida’s 10th-highest-scoring deer
when he accepted an offer to go hunting with his girlfriend’s brother, but
that is exactly what happened.
Thomas took the trophy buck Nov.
20 on private land in Leon County at
the beginning of the general gun season. He then anxiously awaited the
official score of the buck’s antlers to
come back from the Florida Fish and
Wildlife Conservation Commission to
learn how his deer would stack up
against the biggest deer ever taken in
the state as listed in the Florida Buck
Registry. The registry, established in
1982, provides an opportunity for
hunters to register antler scores and
other information about white-tailed
deer taken in Florida.
Idaho
Wolves put a dent in elk herd
The Idaho Fish and Game
Commission, in a unanimous vote Jan.
13, approved a department proposal to
remove up to 75 percent of the wolves
in a portion of the Clearwater Region
to help stabilize the elk population.
Elk numbers in the Lolo elk management zone have been declining and are
below management goals. Idaho Fish
and Game biologists maintain that a
significant part of the cause is wolf predation.
Fish and Game biologists want to
ask federal officials for permission to
reduce wolf numbers in the Lolo zone,
where they say wolves are having an
unacceptable effect on cow elk survival.
Fish and Game biologists want to
reduce the number of wolves in the
Lolo elk zone by 75 percent. That
means up to 43 wolves would be
removed, using the current mid-point
wolf population estimate of 58. There
are between 47 and 69 wolves in that
area.
Biologists then want to maintain the
wolf population at 15-23 wolves for five
years. During that time, they will monitor elk and wolf populations. After five
years, the results of wolf removal on elk
population trend would be assessed.
Minnesota
Got ice? Then get the download
For all the Apple iPods, Dell DJs,
Creative Zens and dozen or so other
brands of portable audio players that
were given as gifts this holiday season,
the Minnesota Department of Natural
Resources has just released a “podcast”
called “Ice Fishing Tips.”
“A podcast is similar to a radio show
only instead of tuning it in on the radio,
you download it from the DNR Web site
to your computer and then transfer it to
a player. That way you can listen to it on
the go,” said Tim Smalley, DNR information officer and safety specialist. “They
are called podcasts because of the popularity of Apple’s Ipod, but they can be
played on anything that will play an
MP3 audio file.”
“Ice Fishing Tips” features a 30minute interview with Terry Tuma,
Minnesota-based outdoor writer, fishing guru and angling instructor. This is
believed to be the first-ever podcast on
the topic.
Oklahoma
Guaranteed winning saugeye waiting
for anglers at Lake Thunderbird
One of the hardest parts about catching a state-record fish is knowing where
to go fishing. That piece of the puzzle
just got a whole lot easier — at least
when it comes to big saugeye.
Wildlife department fisheries biologists recently released two saugeye,
weighing in at more than 10 pounds
each, into Lake Thunderbird near
Norman. The two big fish were collected
and released during a research project
examining the feeding habits of saugeye, bass and crappie. The current state
record saugeye, a 9-pound, 14-ounce
fish, was caught from Lake Thunderbird
in 1992.
According to a state biologist, the
saugeye stocking program at Lake
Thunderbird has been very successful.
“We first stocked saugeye in Lake
Thunderbird in 1985 for two reasons:
first, to provide an additional fishing
opportunity and second, to help control
the over-populated crappie,” Jeff
Boxrucker said.
Saugeye are a hybrid fish produced at
the department’s Byron Fish Hatchery
in northcentral Oklahoma. Hatchery
biologists collect native sauger from the
Arkansas River in northeast Oklahoma
and walleye from Canton Lake in
northwest Oklahoma and then cross
the two species to produce saugeye.
Page 6 January 27, 2006
HUNTING
Clothes make the Huntress
Designer debuts attire targeting the outdoors woman
By Mary Helen Aguirre
S
helah Zmigrosky, CEO of
Frisco-based Foxy Huntress
LLC, wants female hunters
to feel they’re dressed to kill
in more ways than one.
At a launch party in Dallas Jan.
13, the designer debuted her Foxy
Huntress line, a collection of stylish hunting attire designed to fit
the natural curves and body types
of all women.
“Women hunters want to be
comfortable while they hunt.
They want clothes that fit their
female form, clothes that don’t sag
or interfere with shooting their
weapons,” said Zmigrosky, who
said there are more than 6 million
women in the U.S. involved in
shooting and outdoor sports.
What Zmigrosky wanted was
great-looking clothing that can go
from the field to the hunting
lodge. But she emphasized that
she hasn’t sacrificed function for
style.
Her version of the ubiquitous
oversized orange hunting vest, for
example, is a bright orange quilted
vest lined with an exotic animal
print that subtly skims the curves
of a woman’s body.
Some of Zmigrosky’s pieces feature an exclusive signature camouflage pattern she designed especially for her new line. “I just
wanted something a little more
feminine,” she said.
Among her favorite items:
•An upland bird-hunting
ensemble made from soft-brushed
cotton that features a sage and
brown vest ($98) and matching
pants ($95) paired with a camouflage shirt ($100).
•A sand-colored quilted jacket
with a leopard-print lining and
brown leather trim ($195) paired
with classic riding pants ($105).
Monica Keasler, store manager
of the Dallas Orvis, was at Friday’s
launch party.
“I liked it a lot,” she said of the
Foxy Huntress line. “I recently
OPENING IN FASHION: A runway model shows off some of the fashions for the new line of women’s hunting apparel by Foxy Huntress at the Crescent Court Hotel in Dallas.
Photo by David J. Sams.
took a trip to Africa and I wish I’d
had some of those pieces.”
Keasler, who had the chance to
try on some of the attire, also
appreciated the fit and comfort of
the clothing.
It was the scarcity of well-fitting
hunting gear that inspired
Zmigrosky to start designing.
The novice hunter said that
when she planned her first African
safari a couple of years ago, she
went on the hunt for suitable
attire. But the clothing she found
targeted toward women were cut
down from men’s sizes and didn’t
take into account a woman’s
curves. What she did find, she had
to get tailored to better fit her.
Zmigrosky has a medical background and had never designed a
clothing line before Foxy
Huntress. She just went with her
instincts and what she liked. She
aimed for great-looking and hardworking pieces that functioned
well and provided great comfort.
Zmigrosky said she’d love to
bring back the good old days
when people didn’t wear jeans to
hunt.
But you don’t have to hunt to be
a Foxy Huntress, said Zmigrosky.
She said her line targets women
who appreciate the look and attitude of the collection.
For the future, she’s working on
adding accessories, such as jewelry, belts and leather goods. She’s
also working with her fabric manufacturer to design an even more
durable 100-percent cotton camouflage fabric.
To view her collection, visit
www.foxyhuntress.com.
Mary Helen Aguirre is a native
Texan with almost 15 years of
experience editing and writing for
newspapers, including the Atlanta
Journal-Constitution. She is a
free-lancer in New Mexico.
Hanging with
the big bucks
You’ve got to beat 200 B&C
points to stay in this hunt
By Wes Smalling
With drought conditions afflicting much of the Texas Brush
Country, you might assume that
the entries in this year’s big buck
contests are a bit on the puny side.
Think again.
As entry deadlines draw near,
most of the contests are on pace to
finish with as many entries as in
previous years and with just as
many 200-plus Boone and
Crocket-point bucks.
“We’ve got seven or eight deer
over 200 total (B&C points),” said
Stephen Mabery, owner of Los
Cazadores Hunting Headquarters
and Deer Contest in Pearsall. “It is
surprising for the type of drought
we’ve had. We’ve had ranches
down there in the south that
haven’t had any rain since April —
not a drop. I can’t describe it.
We’ve sure had a bunch (of big
deer). I thought we’d have nothing but it’s been surprisingly
good.”
Los Cazadores’ current leader in
the low-fence category is Larry
Wilkey of Baytown, whose unusually racked whitetail would be the
overall leader in any contest in the
state so far. Wilkey’s triple-beam
buck, which he shot on a rifle
hunt on a ranch in Zavala County,
scored 238 B&C points.
Larry Wilkey’s triple-beam buck, which
he shot on a rifle hunt on a ranch in
Zavala County, scored 238 B&C points.
Marty Griffith on the Peeler Ranch
south of San Antonio. Griffith’s big
buck scored 222 7/8 B&C points.
Jack Brittingham of Athens killed his
229 2/8 B&C-point deer on the Briar
Lakes Ranch in Anderson County.
The deer was an estimated 8 1/2
years old. Though small-bodied at
about 130 pounds field-dressed, its
rack has an astounding 28 antler
points.
“We joked around and said it
looks like he had a bad hair day. He
had points every place,” Wilkey
said.
Wilkey had watched the deer
through a spotting scope on a
foggy morning a few days earlier
but, because of its smallish body,
had passed on it thinking it might
be too young. He shot a video of it
instead. After watching the video,
he decided it was definitely an
older buck.
“I didn’t see him for two or three
days, but the next foggy day he
reappeared in that same area and
that’s when I shot him.” Wilkey
said.
“I knew it was an unusual deer
but I didn’t have any idea it would
score like that.”
The second-highest scoring lowfence buck and the fourth highest
score overall of any deer contests
in the state — was taken by Marty
Griffith at the Macho Creek Lodge
on the Peeler Ranch south of San
Antonio in October. Griffith’s big
buck scored 222 7/8 B&C points. It
field-dressed at about 160 pounds
and has 17 antler points.
Griffith had seen the same buck
the season before and had passed
See BIG BUCKS, Page 10
January 27, 2006 Page 7
Targeting turkey
Judging distance key to hunting success this spring
By Bob Hood
Chad Miller knows what it is
like to miss a turkey, but he also
says he knows how to remedy the
chances of it happening again.
Miller, who has hunted on the
same Comanche County ranch
for the past eight years, says he
never will forget pulling the trigger on a big gobbler that was only
15 yards away five years ago only
to see the big bird jump sideways
and then turn and run away.
“I thought he was more like 20
or 25 yards away, and I guess my
pattern was so tight that I just
shot over him,” Miller said.
Now on most mornings when
Miller goes turkey hunting, he
uses a decoy. He finds a place
where he is going to sit and then
steps off 20 yards and places his
decoy at that distance. Next, he
finds two sticks and places them
10 yards behind the decoy, one to
the right and the other to the
left. He also places another stick
or rock 20 yards behind him.
“That way I am covered
whether the turkey comes in
straight ahead or to the left or
right or behind me Miller said. It
give me a 20- to 30-yard zone and
I’ll know if he is inside either
yardage or further away.”
Of all the reasons for missed
shots, the hunter’s failure to
judge the distance to the target
likely is the most common,
according to Bob Keck of the
National Wild Turkey Federation.
Hunters should practice judging
A VIEW TO A KILL: Hunters should practice judging distance just as they would patterning their shotgun prior to the season.
distance just as they would patterning their shotgun prior to the
season.
Although some hunters, such
as those who hunt extensively
with archery equipment, are
skilled at determining distances,
the methods used by Miller and
others could help less skilled
hunters judge distances more
accurately.
Range finders are handy and
very accurate for determining distances but should be practiced
Migratory Bird
Hunting Report
HIGH PLAINS MALLARD MANAGEMENT UNIT / PANHANDLE: The region still
needs rain. Most geese are roosting on Lake Etter near Dumas. Decoying action
slowed this week; however, those willing to stay late in the field did scratch out
limits of dark geese and a few light geese. Duck hunting for mallards continued
steady for those able to access wet playas. Duck hunting has been better in
Haskell County. Duck season ends at sunset Jan.29. Goose season continues
through Feb.7. The Light Goose Conservation Order season begins Feb.8. With lots
of juvenile snows on the ground, the season should be prosperous. Prospects are
good.
NORTH ZONE WATERFOWL: Sunday, Jan.29 draws to a close what many are considering the driest waterfowl season in years for North Texas. Sloughs and timber
ponds have been dry throughout the season and most waterfowlers have had to
resort to hunting big water on lakes and reservoirs. The region did receive rain over
the weekend which will provide some water for established ponds for the last week
of the season. Leveed ponds near Interstate 10 received rain over the weekend to
help sustain hunting for another week. Those ponds might prove prosperous when
the Light Goose Conservation Order begins Jan.30. Prospects are fair.
SOUTH ZONE WATERFOWL: A bit of a surprise to many duck hunters this week
was the influx of blue-winged teal that moved across the coastal prairie and
coastal marsh. The bonus is most of the drakes are in their cobalt-headed spring
plumage, perfect for a mount. Waterfowlers have expressed delight in the later
closer of the season. Normally, the second weekend of January is the traditional
closure of duck season. Mallards continue to be the highlight of duck hunts on the
prairie. Another shot of rain this week helped ponds sustain water for the last
week of duck season, which ends at sunset Jan.29. Pintails are very good in
Rockport and Port O’Connor. Some canvasbacks have been showing in the freshwater marsh near Copano Bay. Bluebills and gadwalls have been showing on
Trinity Bay straps. Green-winged teal are good in the Anahuac and High Island
marsh. Snow geese continue to feed on green forbs in fallow fields or winter wheat
fields. The Canada geese that were on the prairie in early January have relocated.
The Light Goose Conservaton Order begins Jan.30. With many juveniles in the
light goose flock, prospects are good for the liberal season.
Open season
DUCK
High Plains Mallard Management Unit: Oct.
28- Jan. 29
North and South Zones: Dec. 10- Jan. 29
Pintail and Canvasback (All Zones)
Dec. 22- Jan. 29
GOOSE
West Zone: Light and Dark Geese, Nov. 5Feb. 7
Light geese conservation order, Feb. 8March 26.
East Zone: Light Geese, Nov. 5- Jan. 29
Canada Goose Nov. 5- Jan. 29
Light geese conservation order, Jan. 30March 6.
SANDHILL CRANE
Zone A: Nov. 5- Feb. 5
Zone B: Nov .26-Feb. 5
Zone C: Dec. 24- Jan. 29
QUAIL
Statewide: Oct. 29- Feb. 26
WHITE-TAILED DEER
South Texas: Late antlerless and spiked Jan.
16- 29
Edwards Plateau: Late antlerless and spiked
Jan. 16- 29
RIO GRANDE TURKEY
Willacy, Brooks, Kenedy & Kleberg counties:
Nov. 5- Feb. 26
PHEASANT
Chambers, Jefferson and Liberty counties:
Oct. 29- Feb. 26
JAVELINA
Oct. 1- Feb. 26
with at home or in the field
before the opening of the season,
not the first time out when hunting, for example.
Trees, rocks, stumps and fence
posts can be checked with the
range finder for their distances,
but you should make several
practice sessions so you are comfortable looking through the
range finder under various light
conditions.
If you want to have fun while
improving your range skills, ask a
hunting partner to join you.
Two hunting partners can have
fun and sharpen their skills by
using a turkey decoy to estimate
distance. One hunter can sit on
the ground while the other
hunter places the decoy at an
unknown distance and then the
two can take turns estimating the
range before actually stepping it
off.
Placing the decoy behind
brush, up or down a slight grade,
in deep shadows and bright sun-
light will help improve range estimation dramatically.
Regardless how you go about it,
judging distances will help
ensure a clean kill. Just remember
as Miller does, when you are in
the woods a few yards can make a
big difference.
Bob Hood is an outdoor writer for
the Fort Worth Star Telegram and a
frequent contributor to Lone Star
Outdoor News. Information from
the National Wild Turkey
Federation contributed to this report.
Page 8 January 27, 2006
FISHING
Redfish action hot along
the upper Texas rivers
By Scott Sommerlatte
ith several weeks of winter still
ahead, Texas coastal anglers
should look no further than
the rivers of the upper Texas coast for
some hot trout and redfish action.
Since Thanksgiving, anglers have been
reporting tremendous catches of both
trout and redfish from the Brazos, San
Bernard and Colorado rivers. And, while
many anglers enjoy consistent success
fishing the rivers from year to year, this
year has proven to be better than most.
“Despite it not getting that cold this
winter, fishing in the river has been
extremely good,” said Capt. Bill
Pustejovsky of fishing in the Colorado
River. “The low tides and drought conditions have made conditions right and the
trout and reds are thick.”
The low tides are actually low-water levels created by the consistent westerly
direction of the winds this winter. These
low-water levels have caused a lot of fish
to leave the bays in favor of the deeper
waters of the rivers. Once in the rivers,
the fish start following the bait as it
migrates up river in search of fresh water.
However, because of the drought that
Texas is experiencing right now, the baitfish are having to travel great distances up
river to find comfortable conditions,
which is drawing the trout and reds as far
as 15 and 20 miles inland.
The key to locating the fish, which
move around daily, is to locate the bait.
Baitfish may be found on the shallow
edges of the warming riverbank over oyster or gravel one day, and the next, they
might be around structures such as barnacle- and oyster-covered docks or bridge
pilings. Another possibility is that they
could be balled on the surface in the middle of the river with fish underneath. On
the warmer days, it is also possible to occasionally locate birds working over fish.
The fish and birds are feeding on white
shrimp that have come up out of the mud
W
VICTORY: Brent Chapman celebrates win at the Top
Gun tournament. Photo by BassFan.
Top bass
anglers
hook up
for charity
Money from BassFan’s 2006 Top Gun Championship
and 2006 Skeeter BassFan Army Weekend Warrior
Championship will benefit Children’s Medical Center of
Dallas, BassFan announced this month.
BassFan added that the fundraiser will be the largest
charity event in championship bass fishing history.
Launched last year, Top Gun features the top-ranked
professional bass fishermen in the world, and Weekend
Warrior features the top-performing weekend bass fishermen from North America’s best regional trails. Both
championships join the Stampede Season lineup of
charitable events, which includes: the Interstate
Batteries Texas Stampede rodeo and concert weekend;
Texas State Championship Bar-B-Que Cook-off and
Texas Music Festival; La Riata Gala and Texas Hold ’Em
Poker Tournament; Children’s Medical Center
Christmas Stampede; and the Pace Picante Cattle Drive.
“BassFan feels strongly about continuing the charitable tradition that has long been an integral part of bass
fishing,” said Scot Laney, BassFan’s chief operating officer. “Bass anglers and tournament organizations at all
levels are supporting good causes throughout the U.S.,
Canada and Europe, and we certainly want to do our
part.
“Partnering with Texas Stampede to produce an annual event to benefit Children’s Medical Center is a perfect
fit because Texas Stampede has a long history of doing
good work in support of children in north Texas.”
Joel T. Williams III, president of Texas Stampede, said,
“We’re excited about this partnership. We wanted to add
a bass fishing tournament component to Stampede
Season and are thrilled that it ended up being not one,
but two of the major championships in the sport.
“BassFan shares our mission to raise substantial funds
annually for Children’s Medical Center, and is committed to building a signature event in North Texas.”
In order to be a part of the fall Stampede Season, the
Skeeter Weekend Warrior Championship will take place
Sept. 15-18, followed by the Top Gun Championship
Sept. 19-23. BassFan has not yet released lake locations
for the 2006 tournaments.
Texas Stampede is a nonprofit organization that seeks
to raise substantial funds for Children’s Medical Center,
one of the top 25 pediatric hospitals in the nation as recognized by U.S.News & World Report, by organizing and
conducting a variety of unique family events that are
part of Stampede Season each fall in Dallas. Since its
inception in 2001, the organization has contributed
more than $2.5 million for pediatric programs associated with Children’s Medical Center. For more information on Texas Stampede, visit www.texasstampede.org.
BassFan, the leading global bass fishing news source, is
a media company that owns several bass fishing media
properties (BassFan.com, BassFanArmy.com, BassFan
Radio, BassFan MAG magazine, BassFan TV), a membership program (the Skeeter BassFan Army) and two events
(the Top Gun Championship and the Skeeter BassFan
Army Weekend Warrior Championship).
— A BassFan report, wwwbassfan.com
UP THE RIVER: Anglers are reporting tremendous catches of redfish and trout from the Brazos,
San Bernard and Colorado rivers.
to enjoy the warming conditions.
Once the bait is located, anglers should
use a trolling motor to cover the area with
plastic bait-tails rigged on 1/4 oz. jig
heads, deep-water plugs such as the
Mirro-lure 52MR series, or crank baits.
The lures should be worked thoroughly
throughout the water column at different
speeds and depths to find what works and
establish a pattern. Once a pattern is
detected and established, move from different groups of bait, apply the same techniques and experience a great catch for
yourself.
Carp groups bringing Challenge to Texas
By Todd Nafe
It’s hard to understand a lot of people when
they talk about carp fishing because their
tongues are planted so deeply in their cheeks
that their speech is almost unintelligible.
But there’s a growing movement that hails
the hearty carp as a tournament-worthy fish,
and that movement is making its way to Texas
this spring.
The American Carp Society and the Carp
Anglers Group are hosting the Texas Carp
Challenge in Austin March 26-31. This firsttime event will offer a chance for a $250,000
cash prize should the Texas state record for carp
be broken during the tournament. The tournament will be held on Town Lake, which yielded
the current state record carp at 41.5 pounds,
according to Texas Parks and Wildlife.
That kind of money is no joke. There’s also
the “Big Four” bonus cash prize of $25,000 that
could be awarded to the contestant who brings
in the four largest fish with a total weigh greater
than 130 pounds combined during the event.
The Austin Team Championship, which will
be held the week before the Texas Carp
Challenge, will offer anglers a chance to get the
competitive juices flowing as well as to gain
familiarity with the carp bite on Town Lake.
The tournaments are likely to attract national
and international competitors.
According to Carp Anglers Group member
Mark Villanova, Town Lake is the Mecca of carp
fishing.
“It’s one of the only lakes in the United
States to consistently produce 40-pound fish,”
he said.
Among the goals of the Carp Anglers Group
is promoting acceptance of the carp as an exciting and challenging sportfish. In Europe and
CARP CATCH: Sean Manning and Wayne Boon show two carp they caught on Town Lake in
Austin. They are directors of the American Carp Society. Photo by Sean Manning.
other parts of the world, carp are valued for
their strength and treated as sportfish.
Villanova sees signs that Americans are gaining
an appreciation for the fish, too. “Carp fishing
in the U.S. is exploding,” he said. “I compare it
to the first bass anglers to compete in tournaments. They had no idea what they were starting, but we have a better idea from watching
bass fishing mature into a competitive sport.”
Carp fishing sponsorships are emerging and
even carp fishing video games are beginning to
show up on the market. But most carp anglers,
Villanova says, aren’t in it for the money.
Rather, do what they do for the thrill of catching these powerful fish.
While there are some commercial carp baits
on the market, the majority of carp fishermen
prefer their own dough bait recipes. Mark
Terry, who co-captained the championship
team in last summer’s Lake Waco Carp
Tournament, said his bait consisted of Big Red
soda, bran flakes, dissolved range cubes and an
extra twist of vanilla.
The Texas Carp Challenge entry fee is $250
per angler until Feb. 28. After that, it’s $275 and
the deadline to enter is March 20.
Entry fee for the Austin Team
Championship is $120 per two-person team,
and the registration deadline is March 15. The
tournament is limited to bank fishing only.
Entrants will receive commemorative pins and
Bank Buddy rod holders in addition to the
chance at pocketing the top prize money.
For rules and more information on the tournaments, visit www.americancarpsociety. com
or www.carpanglersgroup.com.
Todd Nafe is the outdoor writer for the Waco
Tribune-Herald and can be reached at www.centexoutdoors.com.
January 27, 2006 Page 9
Flat Out event offers
Redfish Cup top pro staff award
goes to Texas Tackle Factory teams tips to coastal anglers
The votes are in and the Redfish Nation has spoken: The Texas Tackle Factory staff has won the
2005 Cuppy Award for Pro Staff of the Year.
The staff comprises three teams: Charlie Barton
from Port Lavaca, Texas, and Jack Barton from
Laguna Vista, Texas; Sam Arcure Jr. from Ft. Myers,
Fla., and Keith Rainwater from Victoria, Texas;
and Brandon Jenewein and Mike Condit from Bay
City, Texas.
“Winning a Cuppy is huge. This really gives us
some credibility and provides us with some
momentum going into 2006,” exclaims Keith
Rainwater, president and owner of the Texas
Tackle Factory. “To be nominated was an honor,
and to win the Cuppy is very humbling and feels
great.”
The Texas Tackle Factory pro staff was new to
the Oh Boy! Oberto Redfish Cup in 2006 and only
three of the staff’s anglers had competed in previous Cup tournaments.
This year’s Redfish Cup’s first two stops will be
in Florida at Clearwater, April 6-8 and Punta
Gorda, May 11-13. Then the Cup tackles the Lone
Star State with events in Kemah, June 8-10 and
Port Aransas, Aug. 17-19. The wrap-up will be held
in Cajun Country in New Orleans, Aug. 31-Sept. 1.
— A Redfish Nation report
CUPPY WINNERS: The staff of Texas Tackle Factory, which
consists of three teams made of six anglers, were named top pros
of the year by Redfish Nation. Photo by David J. Sams.
Texas Parks and Wildlife will
offer a daylong event for Coastal
Bend anglers eager to sharpen
their fishing skills.
The third annual Flat Out
Fishing event kicks off 8 a.m. Jan.
28 at Texas A&M UniversityCorpus Christi. The event will be
held at the university’s Science and
Technology Building in room 104.
The event includes seminars and
presentations from noted guides
and experts and covers everything
from the life histories of popular
sport fish to fishing the flats and
landing trophy trout.
“Flat Out Fishing offers anyone
from beginning to experienced
fishermen a variety of opportunities to increase their knowledge of
the sport,” said TPW Coastal
Fisheries Outreach Specialist Art
Morris. Morris added that the
event benefits the Texas Parks and
Wildlife Foundation’s abandoned
crab trap removal program fund.
That program has removed more
than 18,000 abandoned crab
traps from coastal waters since
2002.
Flat Out Fishing begins with a
boating safety presentation and
continues through 5 p.m. with
the conclusion of “Lefty Ray”
Chapa’s photography seminar.
Participants will be eligible for
door prizes and “goody bags.”
The cost is $20 per person or
$30 per couple, payable by cash,
check or money order at the door.
Registration
fees
are
taxdeductible. Children under 17
may attend free.
Seating is limited to the first 100
participants. To register, contact
Art Morris at (361) 825-3356 or by
e-mail at art.morris@tpwd.state.
tx.us.
Anheuser-Busch, Coastal Conservation Association Texas, the
Corpus Christi Convention &
Visitors Bureau, Daiichi, Saltwater
Conservation Association Texas
and the Coastal Bend Bays and
Estuaries Program sponsor flat
Out Fishing.
— A Texas Parks and Wildlife report
Nominations
sought for
Freshwater Fishing
Hall of Fame
Individuals or organizations
that have made a lasting contribution to freshwater fishing in Texas
may be nominated through Feb.
25 for induction into the Texas
Freshwater Fishing Hall of Fame.
Nominees may be anglers, fisheries professionals or organizations. The nominee must be a
Texan or Texas organization.
Individuals may be either living or
deceased. One nominee will be
chosen by an independent selection committee and formally
inducted during the annual Hall
of Fame banquet May 27 at the
Texas Freshwater Fisheries Center
in Athens.
Prior inductees include Floyd
Mabry, Jackie Hewlett, R.D. Hull,
Bob Kemp, Nick Crème, Charlie
Inman, Sugar Ferris, Leonard
Ranne, Earl Golding, Kathy
Magers,
the
Sabine
River
Authority, Skeeter Boats, Michael
(“Shorty”) Powers and Ray Murski.
Nomination forms and instructions are available on Texas Parks
and Wildlife’s Web site at
h t t p : / / w w w. t p w d . st a t e .
tx.us/spdest/visitorcenters/tffc/vi
sit/virtualtour/halloffame/nominate.phtml or by calling (903)
670-2228.
— A Texas Parks and Wildlife report
Offshore – 8 to 12 hours for up to 6 people.
Prices start at $900.00
Bay – Half-day trips starting at $350.00
Full-day trips starting at $450.00
All-inclusive trips available; please call for details
Other packages available:
Whitetail, Mule Deer and Spring Turkey. Hunting packages include
all meals, lodging, guides, care of game and airport pickup
(if applicable; please call for details)
For more information, please contact Bucky and Leesa Bonner at
P.O. Box 460 Port Aransas, TX 78373
B&B OUTFITTERS - 800.460.1843
WWW.BBOUTFITTERS.COM
Lake Amis
Amisttad —
fished b
byy the bes
bestt
. . . and the bes
bestt
will be fishin
g.
fishing.
Make Plans To Come Support Your Favorite
Fisherman at one of the upcoming tournaments
on Lake Amistad.
2006
Bass Champs — January 20-22
Texas Tournament Trails — February 3-5
FLW Stern Series — February 22-25
Texas Federation of B.A.S.S. — February 26 - March 3
ESPN - Battle on the Border — March 9-12
Academy Sports & Outdoors presents the 2006
PRO & AMATEUR TEAM DIVISIONS
PRO DIVISION pays 10 places with
$12,500 cash paid for 1st Place
AMATEUR DIVISION, $150 Entry Fee,
pays $4,000 cash, based on 80 boats
TEAM OF YEAR (PRO & AMATEUR)
wins boat, motor & trailer package.
Lubricant
For Information Contact The Del Rio Chamber of Commerce
1-800-889-8149 — www.drchamber.com
2006 TOURNAMENTS
May 13 & 14 • Matagorda
Russell Bait & Tackle (formerly Skippers) • 979-863-7620
April 1 & 2 • Rockport
Lighthouse Inn • 888-790-VIEW
April 29 & 30 • Galveston
Nasa Clear Lake Hilton 281-333-9300
Gulf Coast Troutmasters Association • 7449 Wright Rd • Houston TX • 713-466-STIX (7849)
www.americanrodsmiths.com • jake@flex.net
Page 10 January 27, 2006
Youth
Continued from Page 1
YOUTHFUL WEEKEND: Youth-only deer-hunting weekends are held on one weekend in
October and January.
Hunting Program, a joint venture of
TPW and the Texas Wildlife
Association. “The bonding people
talk about really does take place in
the woods.” Youth-only hunting
had its critics, however, when it started in Texas almost 10 years ago.
Macdonald said most criticism related to the early season hunt.
“Some people complained that it
would stir up deer prior to the
beginning of the open season,” he
said. “Others said that daddy would
get a jump on everyone. Take junior
out and daddy shoots the big buck. I
don‘t think that’s turned out to be a
big problem.”
The program’s most recent weekend also produced a few new critics.
Diane Ganter of Garland, like
Tyler, hoped to shoot her first deer.
She had gone to two previous
youth-only weekends. On the first
one, she shot a hog. The second
time, Diane had the misfortune to
go hunting when temperatures were
in the 80s.
“We didn’t see anything,” said her
father, Paul. “It was too bad, but it
wasn’t anybody’s fault. This was
going to be her last shot.”
When they arrived at the Storm
Ranch in the Hill Country, after a 5hour drive, the Ganters were told
that Diane could not hunt whitetails. She’s 17. The Ganters didn’t
realize the age limit, and hunt
organizers failed to note Diane’s
age, despite her previous involve-
‘I want to get like
an 8- to 10-point
buck. Because that
way I can mount it on
the wall, like my
dad’s deer.’
— TYLER DEATER
ment in youth-only hunts. A 17year-old boy also was not allowed to
hunt deer.
“The communication was terrible,” Diane said. “I know they have
volunteers, but if they don’t get
things straight, they screw up not
only the kid’s weekend, but, also,
their parents’.”
Still, she recalls her first two
youth-only hunting weekends
fondly.
“It was great even when I didn’t
shoot anything,” Diane said. “In
the city, it’s hard to get out.
Whether you’re hog hunting or
deer hunting, watching wildlife is
fun — but it’s a little more exciting
to shoot.”
The experience of Curtis and
Tyler was more what organizers
envisioned when they created
youth-only hunting weekends. To
Curtis, such a program is invaluable. Tyler has Asperger’s
Syndrome, a milder form of Autism.
“Part of the weekend was to help
socialize him, let him be around
other kids,” Curtis said. “See how
they act, how they interact. It was a
great time, a wonderful experience
for him.”
Here’s how Tyler puts it.
“I like it when people my age are
out there,” he said. “It’s more fun.
After the hunt, you get to tell your
stories, what you experienced, what
you saw and all that.”
He’s already looking forward to
his next youth-only hunt, Tyler
said.
“I want to get like an 8- to 10point buck,” he said. “Because that
way I can mount it on the wall, like
my dad’s deer. I want one on the
wall, too.”
Mark England is associate editor of
Lone Star Outdoor News.
Big bucks
Continued from Page 6
on it, estimating it to be about 170
B&C points at the time.
“Then we found its sheds in the
spring and it turned out to be 190
(B&C) points,” Griffith said from his
home in Houston. “I probably
would’ve shot him last year. You usually don’t let a 190 get away. He
ended up a 223. That’s about a 16percent increase in a year. That’s
pretty good.”
Griffith shot the buck from a tree
stand as it came in to a feeder.
Griffith’s low-fence buck is currently the overall leader in the Exotic
Wildlife Association Big Buck
Contest and in the state-run Texas
‘You usually don’t let
a 190 get away. He
ended up a 223. That’s
about a 16-percent
increase in a year.’
— MARTY GRIFFITH
Big Game Awards.
The second- and third-highest
scoring bucks overall are the two current high-fence leaders in the Los
Cazadores Deer Contest. Jack
Brittingham of Athens killed his 229
2/8 B&C-point deer on the Briar
Lakes Ranch in Anderson County.
Just behind Brittingham is Mark
Gray of Houston, whose deer scored
227 5/8 B&C points. Gray bagged his
big buck on the Bear Branch Ranch
in Callahan County.
Another high-fence leader in several contests is Bill Glendening of
Horseshoe Bay.
Among the different scorers of the
four contests Glendening’s deer is
entered in, his big buck tallied
between 214 4/8 and 217 4/8 B&C
points. Glendening shot the 20point buck on the Shiner Ranch in
Frio County. He currently leads
Laredo’s Cola Blanca Big Buck
Contest, the Los Cuernos de Tejas Big
Game Contest in Carrizo Springs,
Dilley’s El Monstruo del Monte Big
Buck Contest and the Texas Gulf
Coast Deer Contest.
Final results for most of this year’s
big buck contests will be released by
the end of January. The Texas Big
Game Awards has an entry deadline
of March 15.
Wes Smalling is the former outdoors
editor for the Santa Fe New Mexican
and has more than a decade of
experience as a writer and reporter.
January 27, 2006 Page 11
Falcon
Continued from Page 1
effort, TPW recruited local fishermen to catch
whites in Choke Canyon and use those breeders to restock Falcon.
That effort hasn’t yet had a visible impact on
the white bass population — and some people
blame illegal netting.
What anglers and Texas wildlife officials
agree on is that the combination of a decadelong drought and gill netting decimated the
population of white bass that were once a
prime attraction for winter residents — or
“snowbirds” — who benefited the lakeshore
economy.
What they don’t always agree on is what to
do about the problem, which is intensified by
the fact that jurisdiction of the 83,654-acre lake
is shared between Texas and Mexico.
The last time white bass showed up on Texas
Park and Wildlife surveys of the lake was in
1995, also the first drought year, said Randy
Myers, fisheries biologist with TPW in San
Antonio. The drought ended about late 2003.
Local lore says that gill-netters made big
hauls when the lake levels first went down,
Myers said. Whites, or sandies, are particularly
vulnerable to nets because they travel in
schools, unlike the predatory largemouth bass.
Illegal netting remains a problem. “You
actually can run into them (nets) in your boat.
They get tangled up in your lower unit,”
Ramerez said.
He added that there’s money to be made
through illegal netting because the fish can be
sold at markets.
Texas game wardens put several commercial
fishermen from Mexico in jail, seized a couple
of boats and “between 15,000 and 20,000 feet
of net” in the month that started in midDecember, said Wayne Schwartz, a game warden stationed in Stark County.
Zapata County — which had lost its threewarden allocation due to attrition and injury
— will get two new wardens this month,
Schwartz said. A third, recovering from a gunshot wound, will return by April, he said.
Schwartz said he’s concerned about reports
that anglers have drawn weapons on suspected
illegal netters. “Leave law enforcement to the
law enforcement agencies,” he said. “I realize
how people get emotional about fishing, but I
don’t see dying over it.”
On the supply side, Myers plans a creel survey on Falcon, starting Jan. 28-29, interviewing
returning anglers about their catch. “We’ll be
sitting at one of two boat ramps (the state park
and Zapata County ramps) 20 times, for six
hours each.” He plans a March net survey for
white bass and crappie as well.
From that data, he will develop a management plan for the Falcon fishery and present it
to the TPW Commission. “At that time, we can
recommend stocking, harvest regulation
changes, whatever is in our power to recommend through this office,” he said.
In the meantime, local residents like Zapata
Chamber of Commerce Executive Director
Peggy Umphres-Moffett aren’t standing still.
“Our goal is to revive the lake back to where
it’s always been,” she said. “White bass was one
of the best things about Falcon. We’re working
with our state rep and TPW to start some
restocking efforts.”
“White bass can recover very quickly when
conditions are right,” said Phil Durocher,
inland fisheries division director for TPW.
“And the conditions right now should be pretty favorable.”
Umphres-Moffett wants more. “We’d like to
propose that we have a farm here for white
bass,” she said. “What better solution?”
Her Falcon Lake Development Committee is
also contacting federal officials, including U.S.
Rep Henry Cuellar, in an effort to help restore
the lake. “We’re working with our legislators
and our friends across the border so that we can
get something moving,” she said.
Within the last month, she started talks
with the mayor of Guerrero, Mexico. ”They’re
excited to work with us, and I really think we’ll
make great strides,” she said.
Robert Amaya, fishing guide and owner of
Robert’s Fish & Tackle in Zapata, said the fishing is great for largemouth. With time and
some stocking, the whites could follow, he
said.
“I’m beginning to see some seagulls acting
like white bass have been here, but I haven’t
heard any reports,” he said. “I think they’ll
come back — but it’ll take three or four years.”
Diana Kunde is a free-lancer based in
Arlington, dikunde@sbcglobal. net.
the mountain states. Not many know these
free-ranging elk even exist in Texas.”
But the hunt exposed an uncertainty relatContinued from Page 1
ed to the evolving management of game.
How do you classify an animal born behind a
water trough on top of the mountain. He was high fence and then released onto a range?
26 yards away. I shot him with a bow. I had to
David King, who publishes Hunting
chase him and shoot him three more times. Illustrated and tracks trophy animals, said he
He was a big animal. When we got through had doubts the giant elk was a true free-range
quartering him and backpacked him out, it elk because of its size.
was about one in the morning. It was a chal“You just don’t see many free-ranging elk
lenge. He was a tremendous bull.”
of that stature,” King said.
The decision by Boone and Crockett offiKing said he talked to guide Chris
cials surprised him, Urbanczyk said.
Chopelas, who led Urbanczyk’s hunt.
“I kinda thought they
Chopelas told him that a
would accept it,” he said.
hole was found in the
“They should. We have a
elk’s ear where a tag
bunch of free-ranging elk
would go. He also said CF
in Texas. We just don’t
Ranch had released some
have a season on them.”
ranch bulls some seven
A Boone and Crockett
years before, King said.
records official said
Chopelas
did
not
allowing the recording of
return phone calls seekelk from Texas isn’t in
ing comment by deadkeeping with the organiline.
zation’s philosophy. He
Classifying such a kill is
added that an elk born
difficult,
King
said.
inside a high-fence area
Groups such as Boone
and released would not
and Crockett only record
qualify for a Boone and
trophy animals they
Crockett record anyway,
deem shot under fairaccording to the official.
— RONNIE URBANCZYK
chase conditions.
The largest typical elk
“It’s a unique situation:
recorded by the organizareleasing a high-fence
tion was taken in 1968 in
bull on a free range and
Arizona’s White Mounseven years later it’s shot,” King said. “What
tains at a score of 442 5/8 points.
do you do?”
Boone and Crockett’s rejection of what
For his part, King questions recording such
would have been the biggest elk on record kills.
disturbs some Texans.
“What it comes down to is it’s not even a
“What hurts is that so many are behind a generation removed from the farm,” King
high fence in Texas,” said Walt Isenhour, the said.
Texas state chairman for the Rocky
Urbanczyk, though, sees the kill as legitiMountain Elk Foundation. “Boone and mate.
Crockett must think that they’re all behind a
“A lot of people are raising whitetails and
high fence.”
turning them loose, introducing new genetIsenhour, on a hunting trip of his own, ics into the species,” he said. “It’s hard for me
actually ran into Urbanczyk while he was to see that it’s OK on one side and not OK on
hauling the giant elk home.
the other side. The introduction of new
“I’ve been around the elk foundation the genetics is everywhere. I don’t think that’s a
last 16 years,” Isenhour said. “I go to Missoula good argument.”
(Mont.) quite often. I don‘t know of a typical
Rocky Mountain elk that outscores it. These Mark England is associate editor of Lone Star
elk aren’t hunted with intensity they are in Outdoor News.
Elk
‘We have a bunch
of free-ranging
elk in Texas. We
just don’t have
a season
on them.’
Page 12 January 27, 2006
QUEST
FOR
QUAIL
asing along the rolling hills of Fisher County,
atop a Tennessee walking horse while hunting bobwhite quail is well, let’s just say,
“Doing it in style!”
Taz, Pro, Banjo and Joker carry their riders over the
prickly pear, briars and red sandy soil, following the
English setters: Patch and Dakota. The dogs zigzag
out front, sniffing for their prey. The horses lumber
on as the dogs run and run, then Patch slams on the
brakes and turns his head upwind — looking directly
into a clump of buffalo grass.
Two hunters dismount and move quickly to the
point. The others hold their horses’ reins.
“No way,” says one of the hunters. “That is way too
small (a clump of grass) to hold anything.”
The shooters approach and a bird busts out. Two
shots are fired. The shooter misses both.
“I cannot believe there was a bird in there,” the
shooter says. But Patch could! That is why he
stopped.
“No kidding. Look there,” another hunter says.
About 70 yards upwind, the rest of the covey busts.
They land in a big prickly pear patch, and the dogs
are hot on their trail. The hunters remount, and
everyone runs their horses the quarter-mile or so up
the hill.
“This time we got ’em,” one shouts.
As the lathered-up horses guard one side, the dogs
keep hard on point. The hunters are ready and the
birds just can’t take it any longer. They start flushing
in three’s and four’s. Shotguns blast: bam, bam.
“Reload, reload!” Bam, bam.
Birds hit the ground, dogs shake, the horses paw
and the hunters smile.
The horses carry the men to many more flushes.
The dogs keep on hunting and finding coveys. The
shooting is great. As the day wears on, the leather of
the saddles squeaks to a rhythm and sweat soaks
through your pants. Finally, it’s time for a break. The
dogs need a rest, too, and find a comfortable place at
the feet of their owners.
E
Story and photography by David J. Sams
January 27, 2006 Page 13
PRODUCT PICKS
PRESIDENTIAL APPEAL: The Henry Repeating Arms Company is releasing a deluxe limited edition of
the Golden Boy rifle. It is modeled after one in the Smithsonian, which was presented to President
Lincoln. The company’s award-winning Golden Boy rifle features period-style engraving, American walnut
gunstock and an octagon barrel. An oval shape on both sides of the receiver has been left blank to allow for
personal inscription. It sells for about $1,200. It is available in calibers: .22LR, .22 Magnum, .17HMR. For
dealers or to request a free catalog, visit www. henry-guns.com or call (718) 499-5600.
GET THE DOUBT OUT: The Potable
Aqua Traveller Water
Purification System combines
the company’s popular tablets
with a filter for added
protection against waterborne
cysts and bacteria.
Each Traveller kit
includes a oneliter water bottle
and a 50-count container of
Potable Aqua purification
tablets and a filter, which
can be used for as many
as 350 times. The
company says its product
not only kills potentially
harmful cysts and
bacteria, but also
eliminates unpleasant
taste, color and odor
from water. It costs
about $40. For more
information, visit
www.potableaqua.com
or call (800) 558-6614.
FROM FIELD TO FEAST: Wild
Harvest’s new “Wild Game Field
Care and Cooking” DVD includes
225 minutes of recipes, cooking
demonstrations and information
compiled from three of its
videos: “BIG GAME Butchering
Field to Table,” “VENISON
Cooking Healthy & Tasty” and
“VENISON Aging, Smoking &
Sausage Making.” The indexed
DVD features step-bystep instruction by Milos
Cihelka, a certified
master chef and
sportsman. It costs about $20,
plus shipping, and can be
ordered from www.wild
harvestvideos.com or by
calling (800) 819-3799.
HYBRID TECHNOLOGY: The GMC Sierra Hybrid, which delivers the
performance and capability expected of a full-size pickup, offers a little bit more. It promises up to 10
percent improvement in fuel economy. The battery is connected to a motor generator that provides auto stop
and start. It also powers four electrical outlets in the back seat and cargo area. So in addition to the towing
capability, copious cargo space and other qualities outdoorsmen have come to appreciate in their Sierras, now
they can also use them to plug in their coffee makers before heading out to the field. The Sierra Hybrid
ranges from about $27,000 to $33,000 depending on options. The 4WD models gets 17 miles per gallon in
the city, 19 on the highway. For specifications, visit www.gm.com.
BRAWNY BROADHEAD: For
bowhunters who prefer a heavier
broadhead, Muzzy has designed the
Phantom SS. The new broadhead features
a stainless steel ferrule. It weighs 200
grains without the bleeder blade and 220
grains with it. The company says the
Phantom SS works well on large,
dangerous game, such as the African cape
buffalo, but it works even better on white-tailed deer. It costs
about $26. To order, visit www.muzzy.com or call (866) 387-9307.
LUMINESCENT TRAIL:
BlueStar, a bloodrevealing reagent,
allows hunters
to track
wounded game
in the dark. Mix
the BlueStar tablets
with water, then
spray on the ground
and bushes where
the game was last
spotted. Any traces
of blood will turn a
fluorescent blue in
darkness, even after
it has rained. Monaco-based Roc Imports describes its product
as safe for hunters and the environment. The BlueStar Hunting
Kit costs $20, plus shipping. It comes with four tablets and a
sprayer bottle that holds about 8 ounces. To purchase, call
(877) 948-7827; for more information, visit www.rocimport.com/home.php.
KILLING ZONE: Hips Targets’ freestanding Hips Vitals target features a prime-zone
outline approximately the same shape, size and position of a deer’ s vital organs.
This is for serious bowhunters
who want to fine-tune their
accuracy for clean kills. The
Hips Vitals target can be shot
with field points, fixed or
expandable
broadheads. The
company says this
target will stop arrows traveling
in excess of 300 fps. The
versatile target can be shot
from all six sides and measures
18 by 13 by 13 inches. It costs
about $53. To purchase, visit
www.hipstargets.com. For more
information, call (800) 979-0915.
CHEW ON IT: Gum-O-Flage is a chewing gum designed to eliminate bad breath, reduce body
odors and mask breath. According to Hunting Science, up to 80 percent of human odors
escape the body from the chin up. This gum is formulated with such ingredients as antimicrobials, pine oil and chlorophyll. Available in original pine or alfalfa-honey flavors, it costs
about $5 for a pack containing 12 pieces of gum. For retailers or to order, visit
www.huntingscience. com or call (715) 627-7117.
FLIP OUT: Plano Tackle Systems FlipSider line
features the durability of a box coupled with
the convenience of a bag. The molded
section of the system houses 14
FlipSider compartments with depths
ranging from 2.5 inches to 4
inches to hold a variety of lures.
The hybrid box/bag has a
large center compartment
containing three Pro-Latch
utility boxes and three
roomy exterior pockets. The
burnt orange and gray
FlipSider measures 20.5
inches by 13.5 inches
by 10.25 inches. It
costs about $75. For
retailers, visit www.plano
molding.com or call (800) 226-9868.
Page 14 January 27, 2006
HEROES
Lucas Shelley Talash, 9, of Balch Springs shows the 10-point
deer he took down at Cherokee. He was hunting with his uncle,
Frankie Russell.
Scott Watson, holds a 18-pound flathead catfish and Mike Stefanek
holds a 27-pounder they caught while fishing for white bass on
Richland Chambers.
Share an adventure
Jay Vaughn, 8, shows his first deer harvested in December during
a spike/doe hunt at the James River Ranch near Harper. Jay was
hunting with a 7.08 rifle he borrowed from his godfather.
The next morning he shot the turkey, below, from 100 yards with
the same rifle.
Want to share your great hunting or fishing adventure
with the Lone Star Outdoor News family?
E-mail your photo, phone and caption information to
editor@lonestaroutdoornews. com, or mail to: Heroes,
Lone Star Outdoor News, 9304 Forest Lane, Suite 114 South,
Dallas, TX, 75243.
Kimberly Hall of Wills Point shows a deer she took down at
Fort McKavett.
Kike Ramerez caught this 8-pound largemouth
bass at Falcon Lake near Ramireno on New
Year's Day. He used a watermelon red lizard
while fishing from the bank.
Bethany Berg, 13, of Dallas took this 170-class buck in Bosque County.
Brownsville resident E.T. Hockaday shows a snook he caught at
Boca Chica Beach east of Brownsville.
MADE IN TEXAS
Decade of work puts Gobbler Guillotine in flight
By Mary Helen Aguirre
Matthew Futture of Liberty Hill is a lifelong bowhunter whose
prey of choice is the wild turkey.
He describes himself as just a transplant
from Vermont who said, “I don’t like the way
we’re killing birds,” and set out to change it.
His quest to achieve a more humane kill and
complete pass-through inspired him to design
the Gobbler Guillotine. Futture describes the
razor-sharp, four-bladed, 4-inch by 4-inch
broadhead as the fastest-killing broadhead in
the world. The bowhunter aims the Gobbler
Guillotine at the bird’s neck or head and if it
Matthew Futture
makes contact, usually completely and quickly
severs its head.
Futture unveiled the broadhead in January of 2003 at the Archery Trade Show in Indiana.
“We had a huge resistance because it was so wild looking,” said Futture, owner of
Arrowdynamic Solutions, a family business based in Liberty Hill.
But people in the field tried it and generated a positive buzz through word of mouth.
Cory Skalak of Becker, Minn., tried the Gobbler Guillotine in the Spring of 2004. “I was
kind of skeptical about it. I wasn’t sure it was going to fly.”
But Skalak said the first time he shot the broadhead, it delivered a flawless performance.
“I was actually impressed with it. I’ve had great success with it,” he said, adding that he’s
found it to be accurate up to 25 yards. “You either miss the turkey or you kill it instantly,”
Skalak said.
Now, entering its fourth year, Matthew and Cindy Futture’s
home-based business is steadily growing, and the Gobbler
Guillotine is sold in stores across the United States and in Mexico,
Canada, Sweden, New Zealand and Africa.
In addition to the Gobbler Guillotine, which is also available in a
smaller 2-inch by 2-inch width, the company sells quivers and carbon arrows that are longer and designed to provide more resistance
GOBBLER
in the back.
Last year, he started selling the Atom, which is designed for use
GUILLOTINE
on game such as deer, hogs and antelope.
Some items, like the arrows, are made completely in-house, but
the broadheads’ machine components are farmed out, then quality-checked, assembled and shipped out from Liberty Hill.
Futture said he is a self-taught engineer, and it took him about a
decade to design the Gobbler Guillotine.
“It took me seven years just to figure out the aerodynamic issue,”
said Futture. The tricky flight issues were resolved by covering the blades with an aerodynamic sheath that provides stability. Upon impact, the blade slices through the plastic sheath.
Futture is happy to tout the benefits of his Gobbler Guillotine. He said it increases the killzone target area and provides a greater margin of error in shot placement. It decreases tracking time and bird loss.
“Our recovery distance is measured in inches, “ he said.
It virtually eliminates shaft loss and saves meat because hunters aim for the neck and head,
he said. But, what Futture seems to be most proud of is that he’s engineered a product that
gives archers the means to kill an animal fast.
“I’m in it to promote the sport of archery and to promote an ethical sport,” he says.
For more information, visit www.arrow-dynamic-solutions.com.
January 27, 2006 Page 15
WEATHER
MOON PHASES
For up-to-the-minute weather forecasts, please visit www.accuweather.com
Forecasts and graphics provided by AccuWeather, Inc. ©2006
New
Jan 29
SOLUNAR TABLE
First
Feb 5
Full
Feb 12
Last
Feb 21
TIDES
High
Sabine Pass
1/25
2:23 p.m.
1/26
3:05 p.m.
1/27
3:46 p.m.
1/28
4:22 p.m.
1/29
4:51 p.m.
1/30
12:58 a.m.
1/31
2:20 a.m.
2/1
3:51 a.m.
2/2
5:35 a.m.
2/3
7:34 a.m.
2/4
9:47 a.m.
2/5
11:58 a.m.
2/6
1:22 p.m.
2/7
2:20 p.m.
2/8
3:09 p.m.
2/9
3:52 p.m.
2/10
4:23 p.m.
2/11
4:36 p.m.
2/12
12:06 a.m.
2/13
1:00 a.m.
2/14
1:54 a.m.
Port Bolivar
1/25
4:38 p.m.
1/26
5:20 p.m.
1/27
6:01 p.m.
1/28
12:21 a.m.
1/29
1:53 a.m.
1/30
3:13 a.m.
1/31
4:35 a.m.
2/1
6:06 a.m.
2/2
7:50 a.m.
2/3
9:49 a.m.
2/4
12:02 p.m.
2/5
2:13 p.m.
2/6
3:37 p.m.
2/7
4:35 p.m.
2/8
5:24 p.m.
2/9
6:07 p.m.
2/10
6:38 p.m.
2/11
1:23 a.m.
2/12
2:21 a.m.
2/13
3:15 a.m.
2/14
4:09 a.m.
San Luis Pass
1/25
3:32 p.m.
1/26
4:14 p.m.
1/27
4:55 p.m.
1/28
5:31 p.m.
1/29
12:47 a.m.
1/30
2:07 a.m.
1/31
3:29 a.m.
2/1
5:00 a.m.
2/2
6:44 a.m.
2/3
8:43 a.m.
2/4
10:56 a.m.
2/5
1:07 p.m.
2/6
2:31 p.m.
2/7
3:29 p.m.
2/8
4:18 p.m.
2/9
5:01 p.m.
2/10
5:32 p.m.
2/11
12:17 a.m.
2/12
1:15 a.m.
2/13
2:09 a.m.
2/14
3:03 a.m.
Low
High
Low
5:38 a.m.
6:29 a.m.
7:21 a.m.
8:14 a.m.
9:05 a.m.
9:56 a.m.
10:46 a.m.
11:35 a.m.
12:06 a.m.
1:16 a.m.
2:24 a.m.
3:29 a.m.
4:30 a.m.
5:30 a.m.
6:25 a.m.
7:16 a.m.
8:00 a.m.
8:38 a.m.
9:10 a.m.
9:38 a.m.
10:04 a.m.
——10:06 p.m.
11:38 p.m.
—5:16 p.m.
5:36 p.m.
5:54 p.m.
6:09 p.m.
6:21 p.m.
6:21 p.m.
—————11:08 p.m.
—4:39 p.m.
4:45 p.m.
4:54 p.m.
——7:55 p.m.
8:10 p.m.
8:53 p.m.
9:50 p.m.
10:56 p.m.
—12:28 p.m.
1:29 p.m.
3:25 p.m.
—————9:14 p.m.
8:37 p.m.
8:50 p.m.
9:30 p.m.
10:16 p.m.
6:25 a.m.
7:16 a.m.
8:08 a.m.
9:01 a.m.
9:52 a.m.
10:43 a.m.
11:33 a.m.
12:22 p.m.
12:53 a.m.
2:03 a.m.
3:11 a.m.
4:16 a.m.
5:17 a.m.
6:17 a.m.
7:12 a.m.
8:03 a.m.
8:47 a.m.
9:25 a.m.
9:57 a.m.
10:25 a.m.
10:51 a.m.
———6:37 p.m.
7:06 p.m.
7:31 p.m.
7:51 p.m.
8:09 p.m.
8:24 p.m.
8:36 p.m.
8:36 p.m.
——————6:51 p.m.
6:54 p.m.
7:00 p.m.
7:09 p.m.
——8:42 p.m.
8:57 p.m.
9:40 p.m.
10:37 p.m.
11:43 p.m.
—1:15 p.m.
2:16 p.m.
4:12 p.m.
—————10:01 p.m.
9:24 p.m.
9:37 p.m.
10:17 p.m.
11:03 p.m.
6:07 a.m.
6:58 a.m.
7:50 a.m.
8:43 a.m.
9:34 a.m.
10:25 a.m.
11:15 a.m.
12:04 p.m.
12:35 a.m.
1:45 a.m.
2:53 a.m.
3:58 a.m.
4:59 a.m.
5:59 a.m.
6:54 a.m.
7:45 a.m.
8:29 a.m.
9:07 a.m.
9:39 a.m.
10:07 a.m.
10:33 a.m.
——11:15 p.m.
—6:00 p.m.
6:25 p.m.
6:45 p.m.
7:03 p.m.
7:18 p.m.
7:30 p.m.
7:30 p.m.
——————5:45 p.m.
5:48 p.m.
5:54 p.m.
6:03 p.m.
——8:24 p.m.
8:39 p.m.
9:22 p.m.
10:19 p.m.
11:25 p.m.
—12:57 p.m.
1:58 p.m.
3:54 p.m.
—————9:43 p.m.
9:06 p.m.
9:19 p.m.
9:59 p.m.
10:45 p.m.
High
Freeport
1/25
2:24 p.m.
1/26
3:06 p.m.
1/27
3:47 p.m.
1/28
4:23 p.m.
1/29
4:52 p.m.
1/30
12:59 a.m.
1/31
2:21 a.m.
2/1
3:52 a.m.
2/2
5:36 a.m.
2/3
7:35 a.m.
2/4
9:48 a.m.
2/5
11:59 a.m.
2/6
1:23 p.m.
2/7
2:21 p.m.
2/8
3:10 p.m.
2/9
3:53 p.m.
2/10
4:24 p.m.
2/11
4:37 p.m.
2/12
12:07 a.m.
2/13
1:01 a.m.
2/14
1:55 a.m.
Pass Cavallo
1/25
3:41 p.m.
1/26
4:23 p.m.
1/27
5:04 p.m.
1/28
5:40 p.m.
1/29
12:56 a.m.
1/30
2:16 a.m.
1/31
3:38 a.m.
2/1
5:09 a.m.
2/2
6:53 a.m.
2/3
8:52 a.m.
2/4
11:05 a.m.
2/5
1:16 p.m.
2/6
2:40 p.m.
2/7
3:38 p.m.
2/8
4:27 p.m.
2/9
5:10 p.m.
2/10
5:41 p.m.
2/11
12:26 a.m.
2/12
1:24 a.m.
2/13
2:18 a.m.
2/14
3:12 a.m.
Port O’Connor
1/25
8:26 p.m.
1/26
9:24 p.m.
1/27
10:29 p.m.
1/28
11:44 p.m.
1/29
—1/30
1:13 a.m.
1/31
3:00 a.m.
2/1
4:59 a.m.
2/2
7:11 a.m.
2/3
10:20 a.m.
2/4
7:13 p.m.
2/5
7:16 p.m.
2/6
7:34 p.m.
2/7
8:03 p.m.
2/8
8:40 p.m.
2/9
9:22 p.m.
2/10
10:09 p.m.
2/11
11:04 p.m.
2/12
—2/13
12:30 a.m.
2/14
3:05 a.m.
Low
High
Low
5:08 a.m.
5:59 a.m.
6:51 a.m.
7:44 a.m.
8:35 a.m.
9:26 a.m.
10:16 a.m.
11:05 a.m.
11:58 a.m.
12:46 a.m.
1:54 a.m.
2:59 a.m.
4:00 a.m.
5:00 a.m.
5:55 a.m.
6:46 a.m.
7:30 a.m.
8:08 a.m.
8:40 a.m.
9:08 a.m.
9:34 a.m.
——10:07 p.m.
11:39 p.m.
—5:17 p.m.
5:37 p.m.
5:55 p.m.
6:10 p.m.
6:22 p.m.
6:22 p.m.
—————11:09 p.m.
—4:40 p.m.
4:46 p.m.
4:55 p.m.
——7:25 p.m.
7:40 p.m.
8:23 p.m.
9:20 p.m.
10:26 p.m.
11:36 p.m.
—12:59 p.m.
2:55 p.m.
—————8:44 p.m.
8:07 p.m.
8:20 p.m.
9:00 p.m.
9:46 p.m.
4:56 a.m.
5:47 a.m.
6:39 a.m.
7:32 a.m.
8:23 a.m.
9:14 a.m.
10:04 a.m.
10:53 a.m.
11:46 a.m.
12:34 a.m.
1:42 a.m.
2:47 a.m.
3:48 a.m.
4:48 a.m.
5:43 a.m.
6:34 a.m.
7:18 a.m.
7:56 a.m.
8:28 a.m.
8:56 a.m.
9:22 a.m.
——11:24 p.m.
—6:09 p.m.
6:34 p.m.
6:54 p.m.
7:12 p.m.
7:27 p.m.
7:39 p.m.
7:39 p.m.
——————5:54 p.m.
5:57 p.m.
6:03 p.m.
6:12 p.m.
——7:13 p.m.
7:28 p.m.
8:11 p.m.
9:08 p.m.
10:14 p.m.
11:24 p.m.
—12:47 p.m.
2:43 p.m.
—————8:32 p.m.
7:55 p.m.
8:08 p.m.
8:48 p.m.
9:34 p.m.
8:17 a.m.
9:17 a.m.
10:13 a.m.
11:06 a.m.
11:55 a.m.
12:39 p.m.
1:17 p.m.
1:47 p.m.
1:25 a.m.
2:57 a.m.
4:12 a.m.
5:23 a.m.
6:34 a.m.
7:45 a.m.
8:54 a.m.
9:56 a.m.
10:51 a.m.
11:39 a.m.
12:20 p.m.
12:56 p.m.
1:28 p.m.
———————9:18 p.m.
8:09 p.m.
7:31 p.m.
———————————-
————————2:01 p.m.
1:15 p.m.
———————————-
High
Corpus Christi
1/25
2:32 p.m.
1/26
3:14 p.m.
1/27
3:55 p.m.
1/28
4:31 p.m.
1/29
5:00 p.m.
1/30
1:07 a.m.
1/31
2:29 a.m.
2/1
4:00 a.m.
2/2
5:44 a.m.
2/3
7:43 a.m.
2/4
9:56 a.m.
2/5
12:07 p.m.
2/6
1:31 p.m.
2/7
2:29 p.m.
2/8
3:18 p.m.
2/9
4:01 p.m.
2/10
4:32 p.m.
2/11
4:45 p.m.
2/12
12:15 a.m.
2/13
1:09 a.m.
2/14
2:03 a.m.
South Padre Island
1/25
3:17 p.m.
1/26
4:06 p.m.
1/27
4:54 p.m.
1/28
5:36 p.m.
1/29
6:06 p.m.
1/30
6:18 p.m.
1/31
1:01 a.m.
2/1
3:11 a.m.
2/2
5:16 a.m.
2/3
7:36 a.m.
2/4
10:25 a.m.
2/5
1:02 p.m.
2/6
2:15 p.m.
2/7
3:08 p.m.
2/8
3:57 p.m.
2/9
4:40 p.m.
2/10
5:18 p.m.
2/11
5:44 p.m.
2/12
5:57 p.m.
2/13
5:56 p.m.
2/14
1:07 a.m.
Port Isabel
1/25
3:31 p.m.
1/26
4:13 p.m.
1/27
4:54 p.m.
1/28
5:30 p.m.
1/29
12:46 a.m.
1/30
2:06 a.m.
1/31
3:28 a.m.
2/1
4:59 a.m.
2/2
6:43 a.m.
2/3
8:42 a.m.
2/4
10:55 a.m.
2/5
1:06 p.m.
2/6
2:30 p.m.
2/7
3:28 p.m.
2/8
4:17 p.m.
2/9
5:00 p.m.
2/10
5:31 p.m.
2/11
12:16 a.m.
2/12
1:14 a.m.
2/13
2:08 a.m.
2/14
3:02 a.m.
Low
High
Low
4:46 a.m.
5:37 a.m.
6:29 a.m.
7:22 a.m.
8:13 a.m.
9:04 a.m.
9:54 a.m.
10:43 a.m.
11:36 a.m.
12:24 a.m.
1:53 a.m.
2:37 a.m.
3:38 a.m.
4:38 a.m.
5:33 a.m.
6:24 a.m.
7:08 a.m.
7:46 a.m.
8:18 a.m.
8:46 a.m.
9:12 a.m.
——10:15 p.m.
11:47 p.m.
—5:25 p.m.
5:45 p.m.
6:03 p.m.
6:18 p.m.
6:30 p.m.
6:09 p.m.
—————11:17 p.m.
—4:48 p.m.
4:33 p.m.
5:03 p.m.
——7:03 p.m.
7:18 p.m.
8:01 p.m.
8:58 p.m.
10:04 p.m.
11:14 p.m.
—12:37 p.m.
2:33 p.m.
—————8:22 p.m.
7:45 p.m.
7:58 p.m.
8:38 p.m.
9:24 p.m.
4:43 a.m.
5:39 a.m.
6:35 a.m.
7:30 a.m.
8:23 a.m.
9:15 a.m.
10:05 a.m.
10:55 a.m.
11:45 a.m.
12:24 a.m.
1:18 a.m.
2:16 a.m.
3:17 a.m.
4:21 a.m.
5:24 a.m.
6:22 a.m.
7:15 a.m.
8:00 a.m.
8:39 a.m.
9:12 a.m.
9:42 a.m.
——————6:16 p.m.
6:04 p.m.
5:46 p.m.
5:19 p.m.
4:17 p.m.
—————————5:44 p.m.
—————10:43 p.m.
10:57 p.m.
11:36 p.m.
—12:40 p.m.
2:05 p.m.
————————10:02 p.m.
10:15 p.m.
5:17 a.m.
6:08 a.m.
7:00 a.m.
7:53 a.m.
8:44 a.m.
9:35 a.m.
10:25 a.m.
11:14 a.m.
12:07 p.m.
12:55 a.m.
2:03 a.m.
3:08 a.m.
4:09 a.m.
5:09 a.m.
6:04 a.m.
6:55 a.m.
7:39 a.m.
8:17 a.m.
8:49 a.m.
9:17 a.m.
9:43 a.m.
——11:14 p.m.
—5:59 p.m.
6:24 p.m.
6:44 p.m.
7:02 p.m.
7:17 p.m.
7:29 p.m.
7:29 p.m.
——————5:44 p.m.
5:47 p.m.
5:53 p.m.
6:02 p.m.
——7:34 p.m.
7:49 p.m.
8:32 p.m.
9:29 p.m.
10:35 p.m.
11:45 p.m.
—1:08 p.m.
3:04 p.m.
—————8:53 p.m.
8:16 p.m.
8:29 p.m.
9:09 p.m.
9:55 p.m.
1/25
1/26
1/27
1/28
1/29
1/30
1/31
2/1
2/2
2/3
2/4
2/5
2/6
2/7
2/8
2/9
2/10
2/11
2/12
2/13
2/14
Major/Minor periods:
Houston
Dallas
7:23a/1:09a
7:52p/1:38p
8:17a/2:01a
8:48p/2:32p
9:14a/2:58a
9:46p/3:30p
10:13a/3:57a
10:45p/4:29p
11:13a/4:58a
11:43p/5:28p
12:13p/5:58a
——/6:27p
12:45a/6:58a
1:11p/7:25p
1:44a/7:56a
2:09p/8:21p
2:40a/8:52a
3:04p/9:17p
3:34a/9:47a
3:59p/10:11p
4:27a/10:40a
4:52p/11:05p
5:18a/11:31a
5:44p/11:57p
6:08a/12:22p
6:35p/——
6:58a/12:44a
7:24p/1:11p
7:46a/1:33a
8:13p/1:59p
8:34a/2:21a
9:00p/2:47p
9:20a/3:07a
9:45p/3:33p
10:05a/3:53a
10:29p/4:17p
10:49a/4:38a
11:12p/5:01p
11:33a/5:22a
——/5:43p
12:03a/6:06a
12:16p/6:26p
San Antonio
Amarillo
7:29a/1:15a 4:58p/11:11p
7:58p/1:44p 5:24a/11:37a
8:23a/2:07a 5:50p/——
8:54p/2:38p 6:14a/12:03a
9:20a/3:04a 6:41p/12:28p
9:52p/3:36p 7:04a/12:50a
10:19a/4:03a 7:30p/1:17p
10:51p/4:35p 7:52a/1:39a
11:19a/5:04a 8:19p/2:05p
11:49p/5:34p7:18 p.m./2:27a
12:19p/6:04a 12:13p/2:53p
——/6:33p ——/3:13a
12:51a/7:04a 12:45a/3:39p
1:17p/7:31p 1:11p/3:59a
1:50a/8:02a 1:44a/4:23p
2:15p/8:27p 2:09p/4:44a
2:46a/8:58a 2:40a/5:07p
3:10p/9:23p 3:04p/5:28a
3:40a/9:53a 3:34a/5:49p
4:05p/10:17p 3:59p/6:12a
4:33a/10:46a 4:27a/6:32p
SUN AND MOON
Sunrise/set
1/25
1/26
1/27
1/28
1/29
1/30
1/31
2/1
2/2
2/3
2/4
2/5
2/6
2/7
2/8
2/9
2/10
2/11
2/12
2/13
2/14
Houston
Dallas
San Antonio
Amarillo
7:15a/5:52p
7:15a/5:53p
7:14a/5:54p
7:14a/5:55p
7:13a/5:56p
7:13a/5:57p
7:12a/5:58p
7:12a/5:59p
7:11a/5:59p
7:11a/6:00p
7:10a/6:01p
7:09a/6:02p
7:09a/6:03p
7:08a/6:04p
7:07a/6:04p
7:06a/6:05p
7:06a/6:06p
7:05a/6:07p
7:04a/6:08p
7:03a/6:08p
7:02a/6:09p
7:28a/5:54p
7:27a/5:55p
7:26a/5:56p
7:26a/5:57p
7:25a/5:58p
7:25a/5:58p
7:24a/5:59p
7:23a/6:00p
7:23a/6:01p
7:22a/6:02p
7:21a/6:03p
7:21a/6:04p
7:20a/6:05p
7:19a/6:06p
7:18a/6:07p
7:17a/6:08p
7:16a/6:09p
7:16a/6:10p
7:15a/6:11p
7:14a/6:11p
7:13a/6:12p
7:27a/6:06p
7:27a/6:07p
7:26a/6:07p
7:26a/6:08p
7:25a/6:09p
7:25a/6:10p
7:24a/6:11p
7:24a/6:12p
7:23a/6:13p
7:22a/6:13p
7:22a/6:14p
7:21a/6:15p
7:20a/6:16p
7:20a/6:17p
7:19a/6:17p
7:18a/6:18p
7:18a/6:19p
7:17a/6:20p
7:16a/6:21p
7:15a/6:21p
7:14a/6:22p
7:51a/6:08p
7:50a/6:09p
7:50a/6:10p
7:49a/6:11p
7:48a/6:12p
7:48a/6:13p
7:47a/6:14p
7:46a/6:15p
7:46a/6:16p
7:45a/6:17p
7:44a/6:18p
7:43a/6:19p
7:42a/6:20p
7:41a/6:21p
7:40a/6:22p
7:39a/6:23p
7:38a/6:24p
7:38a/6:25p
7:37a/6:26p
7:35a/6:27p
7:34a/6:28p
Houston
Dallas
San Antonio
Amarillo
3:33a/1:41p
4:40a/2:39p
5:45a/3:47p
6:43a/5:00p
7:33a/6:15p
8:16a/7:29p
8:53a/8:39p
9:27a/9:46p
9:59a/10:52p
10:31a/11:57p
11:04a/none
11:42a/1:01a
12:23p/2:05a
1:10p/3:07a
2:02p/4:05a
2:58p/4:58a
3:56p/5:45a
4:54p/6:25a
5:50p/7:00a
10:31a/11:57p
7:39p/7:58a
3:49a/1:39p
4:57a/2:36p
6:01a/3:44p
6:59a/4:59p
7:47a/6:16p
8:28a/7:32p
9:03a/8:44p
9:34a/9:54p
10:04a/11:01p
10:34a/none
11:06a/12:08a
11:42a/1:14a
12:22p/2:20a
1:08p/3:23a
1:59p/4:22a
2:56p/5:15a
3:54p/6:00a
4:54p/6:39a
5:52p/7:12a
10:34a/none
7:44p/8:07a
3:45a/1:55p
4:52a/2:54p
5:56a/4:01p
6:55a/5:14p
7:45a/6:29p
8:28a/7:42p
9:05a/8:52p
9:39a/9:59p
10:12a/11:05p
10:44a/none
11:18a/12:09a
11:55a/1:13a
12:37p/2:17a
1:24p/3:19a
2:16p/4:17a
3:12p/5:10a
4:10p/5:56a
5:08p/6:37a
6:04p/7:12a
10:44a/none
7:52p/8:10a
4:16a/1:51p
5:25a/2:48p
6:29a/3:56p
7:25a/5:12p
8:12a/6:31p
8:51a/7:48p
9:24a/9:02p
9:54a/10:14p
10:22a/11:23p
10:51a/none
11:21a/12:31a
11:55a/1:39a
12:34p/2:46a
1:19p/3:50a
2:10p/4:50a
3:07p/5:42a
4:07p/6:27a
5:07p/7:05a
6:07p/7:37a
10:51a/none
8:02p/8:28a
Moonrise/set
1/25
1/26
1/27
1/28
1/29
1/30
1/31
2/1
2/2
2/3
2/4
2/5
2/6
2/7
2/8
2/9
2/10
2/11
2/12
2/13
2/14
TEXAS TIDBITS
TEXAS WORD TREASURES
Across
1. These tasty bivalves must
be 3-inches long to har
vest
6. Purple paint on fence
posts means ____ (two
words)
7. Type of catfish (synonym politician)
10. Nickname for different
types of sunfish
11. Odorless, colorless, dead
ly gas
14. Fishing knot
16. In dry years, farmers burn
off needles and feed
these to cattle
17. Name of the new channel
linking Corpus Christi
Bay to Gulf
18. Hunting for this bird is
best in Panhandle
Down
2. TPW is considering elimi
nating the red drum
_____.
3. Pistol with the largest
number of moving parts
4. Ground-dwelling rodent
that lives in large
colonies (pl.)
5. River which cuts across
Panhandle
7. Snakes do this in the winter time
8. This animal's ability to
1
4
2
WILD IN THE KITCHEN
Game bird appetizer
3
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
Copyright 2004 Texas Word Treasures, Greg Berlocher. All Rights Reserved.
steal food from ice chests
stored in camp is leg
endary
9. Seed pods produced by
conifer trees
12. Flying insect with a terri
ble bite
13. Extended period without
rain
15. Austin is in this county
Looking for a good appetizer to kick
off your next wild-game feed? This one
takes a little time to prepare, but it’s
worth the effort.
Start by cutting the breast meat from
one pheasant or ruffed grouse or two
partridges into bite-sized chunks. Place
the meat in a large Ziploc bag along
with a marinade consisting of the following:
• 2 tablespoons Grand Marnier
• 2 tablesoons Chambord
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 teaspoons coriander seeds
It isn’t necessary to buy two expensive bottles of liqueur in order to make
this recipe. The Grand Marnier and
Chambord can be purchased in miniature bottles.
Marinate the meat for at least a couple hours (or overnight) in the refrigerator. To start the preparation, combine in
a hot stainless steel or cast-iron skillet:
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 shallot, finely chopped
• game bird
When the bird is almost cooked,
deglaze the pan by pouring in the leftover marinade and stirring with a wooden spoon to incorporate the caramelized
bits. Next, add to the skillet:
• 2 tablespoons fresh garlic, minced
• 2 tablespoons of carrot, finely diced
• 2 tablespoons of celery, finely diced
Cook for about a minute, then add:
• 3/4 cup of heavy cream
Allow the cream to reduce over medi-
um heat until it gives off big bubbles,
then season with:
• Salt and fresh-ground pepper
• 1 teaspoon coriander
Place the contents in a food processor
and pulse for just a second. You don’t
want to turn the mixture into mush,
just to chop the ingredients slightly.
Spoon the mixture into a baked puff
pastry, top with a bit of grated Parmesan
cheese and place on a Teflon cookie
sheet.
Next, prepare the butter sauce.
Combine in a stainless steel saucepan
over medium heat:
• 1 shallot, finely chopped
• 1/2 cup white table wine
• a few drops of fresh lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon of honey
When the wine has reduced to just a
tablespoon or so, pour in half a cup of
heavy cream. Allow the cream to reduce
by half, then turn off the heat and quickly whisk in:
• 2 sticks of cold unsalted butter, a couple pats at a time
When the butter is emulsified, add:
• 2 tablespoons of Chambord
• salt and pepper to taste
Strain the sauce to remove the shallots and store in a warm place.
Pop the puff pastries into a 400degree oven until the Parmesan melts,
place one pastry on each plate and drizzle a little of the sauce over the top and
around the edges. Garnish with
chopped parsley and serve.
Recipe courtesy of Delta Waterfowl. For
more recipes visit www.deltawaterfowl.org.
Page 16 January 27, 2006
GAME WARDEN BLOTTER
STEALTHY HUNTER FAKED OUT
BY DEER AND WARDENS
•Edwards County Game Warden
Cody Hatfield, Real County
Warden Shane Hohman, and Val
Verde County Warden Jason
Huebner set out a decoy deer in a
good spot in Edwards County to see
what they might attract. Shortly
after midnight a vehicle stopped,
and the driver got out and “put the
Daniel Boone stalk on the decoy,”
according to authorities. Warden
Huebner teasingly wiggled the tail
with the remote control and suddenly three shots rang out from a
.357 Mag Colt Python. The decoy
was hit three times but will live to
work again. Charges filed. No restitution.
FOR ONE BOY, IT MEANT THE WORLD
Falls County Warden Travis Allen learned that a
warden’s job has some great rewards other than just
catching the bad guys and protecting the resources
of Texas. On Dec. 22, he helped an 11-year-old boy
go on a deer hunt that probably would have never
happened under his current situation. The boy’s
mother had died of cancer, and his father and
brother had died in a car wreck. He was living with
his grandparents and the grandfather had agreed
TRAPPED BY THEIR OWN TRAP
•Midland County Warden Terry
Lloyd was contacted by Midland
Sheriff’s Office Constable Choc
Harris about a quail trap located in
a dumpsite. Lloyd along with
Wayne Armstrong of Howard
County went to the reported site.
Two people were questioned and
one admitted to trapping quail.
Cases pending.
HUNTER DIDN’T GIVE A HOOT
FOR THE LAW
•Tarrant County Game Warden
Michael McCall teamed up with
Wise County Game Warden Chris
Dowdy to interview a Wise County
resident about his role in an illegal
hunting incident that occurred in
Tarrant County Dec. 23. During the
interview, officers said the person
admitted to hunting during closed
season, waste of game and killing
protected, non-game birds. The
wardens seized the head of a 10point buck and the carcasses of a
barred owl and a great-horned owl.
The investigation continues and
other charges are expected.
TACKLE BOX CONTAINS
UNUSUAL EQUIPMENT
•Tarrant County Game Warden
Michael McCall, while checking
bank fishermen along the West
Fork of the Trinity River,
approached two young fishermen
and found that neither had a fishing license. A closer inspection of
their tackle box revealed a glass
pipe with marijuana residue. The
officer got permission to search
their vehicle, where he reported
that more paraphernalia was
found. Citations for no fishing
licenses and possession of drug
paraphernalia were issued.
KNOW YOUR DUCKS
•Dallas County Warden Gary Miller
and Rockwall County Warden
Jenny Simpson responded to a tip
regarding duck hunters using lead
shot on a pond in South Dallas
County. The wardens parked at the
gate to the property and walked the
half mile back to the pond. They
saw two men trying to pull decoys
in from the frozen pond water. The
two men climbed into their truck
and began to leave the field.
Wardens Miller and Simpson
checked the men’s hunting licenses
and one duck they had in their possession. The men said that they had
that the young man could hunt with Allen. First,
Allen took the boy to shoot a rifle so he would be
ready to hunt. Then he took him out that day on a
friend’s lease, and although he did not get a deer
the boy enjoyed the outing. When Allen told Bell
County Warden Ronnie Langford about the boy’s
hunting trip, they made a plan for another hunt.
Langford and Allen brought the boy to a lease in
Killeen, and he shot his first deer, a 4-point buck.
a gadwall in the truck. Warden
Miller explained that the duck was
a pintail hen. The men then stated
that they had four more ducks stuck
on the pond. Miller found that
there were three more pintails still
on the water. After fishing out the
ducks, citations were issued to each
man for taking a pintail in a closed
season, and civil restitution was
ordered.
DEER CARCASS COMES
BACK TO HAUNT BOYS
•Henderson County Game Warden
Audie Hamm investigated a call
about a deer carcass with the head
cut off. Hamm located three young
suspects. After questioning, the
three admitted to shooting and
dumping the deer. After they shot
it, they were scared that their parents would find out so they discarded the deer. Cases pending.
DEER CARCASS DUMPED
IN SUBDIVISION
•Polk County Game Warden
Suzanne Baker received a call that a
doe carcass had been dumped in
the middle of a subdivision. After a
lot of interviews, a 39-year-old
female resident of the neighborhood confessed but said a friend
cleaned the deer for her. She was
cited for possession of untagged
deer, and the friend was cited for
illegal dumping.
JINGLE, JINGLE ALL
THE WAY TO JAIL
•Briscoe County Game Warden
Clint Hunt and his family were celebrating Christmas Eve when they
had three uninvited guests show up
at their home — and no it wasn’t
Santa and his elves. One person
knocked on the door and Hunt
answered. Hunt was in plain clothes
and his patrol vehicle was in the
garage. The man at the door
requested gas and money. Hunt
smelled alcohol on the man’s
breath. Hunt told the man he’d be
outside in a minute with a can of
gas. Hunt put on a pistol and a game
warden jacket and he and his
father-in-law went outside. Once
outside, a second and third man got
out of the vehicle. Hunt decided to
tell them he was a peace officer.
Two of the men got back into the
vehicle, and one started the engine.
Hunt told them to turn the vehicle
off and get out. The men protested,
telling Hunt that he couldn’t stop
them. The officer told them that
they stopped in his yard and that no
one was going anywhere. It was
obvious to Hunt that the three were
intoxicated. Hunt had his father-inlaw retrieve his hand-held radio,
and he called for back-up. One of
the men was on parole with a long
criminal record; the second also
had a long criminal history; and the
third had no history. Once the
trooper arrived, the three were
arrested for public intoxication.
One suspect resisted arrest. The
men were charges with offenses
ranging from public intoxication to
trespassing. Cases pending.
LITTLE OYSTERS MEAN
LOTS OF TROUBLE
•Aransas County Game Warden
Charles Mayer arrived at a local
dock to check on loads of oysters
being brought in. Mayer found one
pallet of sacked oysters tagged and
ready for market. Mayer saw that
the oysters were very small. The
captain of the boat that unloaded
the oysters was nowhere to be
found. Mayer contacted fellow
Warden Jason Bussey for assistance.
Mayer and Bussey counted the oysters and took good photographic
evidence of the load and the captain’s tags that were attached to the
sacks. Just as the wardens were finishing their count, the captain
arrived and asked the wardens why
his cargo needed to be looked at.
Mayer obliged the captain with a
citation for a 61-percent undersize
load and a trip back to the bay to
return the entire load.
A LOONY EXPLANATION
•San Patricio County Game
Warden Sam Harris contacted a
group of duck hunters who were a
little nervous to show him what
they had killed. Harris discovered a
loon and two water turkeys in the
game bag. The hunters said they
were not sure what they had, but
they knew it was duck season and
these big black ducks flew by their
duck blind.
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HAVE AN EVENT
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E-mail it to
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Events must be open
to the public
JAN. 26-29: San Antonio Boat Show at
the Alamo Dome. The event will offer
Sky Ranch Kids fishing adventure,
Skeeter trailer, free seminars, bass
aquarium and fishing demonstrations,
150 exhibitors, and 14 local boat
dealers. The weekend times are 10
a.m.-9 p.m.
Jan. 27-29: The Dallas Safari Club’s
annual convention at Dallas Market
Hall. The Dallas Safari Club touts its
annual convention as the South’s
largest international adventure
exposition with more than 700
exhibits from Alaska to Zimbabwe. It
includes spectacular wildlife
displays, celebrity guests, live
entertainment, banquets and live
and silent auctions featuring the
finest global adventures, art and
equipment for the sportsman and
sportswoman. The event will include
seminars by hunting greats such as
“Mr. Whitetail” Larry Weishuhn and
big-game hunter Craig T.
Boddington, who will speak on
leopard hunting. Both men will give
presentations on Friday and
Saturday during the convention. The
event is open to the public and
parking is free. Admission is $15
per day, $25 for two days and $35
for three days. Visit
www.biggame.org or call (972) 980-
number (903) 657-5790 or e-mail
him at rinstine@pandai. com.
Jan. 28: Texas State Turkey Calling
Contest, Bass Pro Shops, Katy. The
winner qualifies for the Grand
Nationals in Nashville for 2007.
Calling starts at 2 p.m. For more
information, e-mail Bob Linder at
rlinderhaus@aol.com or call him at
(713) 621-0505.
Feb. 3: Borger DU dinner at the
country club. This event is one of
the top dinners in the Texas
Panhandle with lots of prizes and
games. It’s a possible sellout, so
don’t wait to get your tickets.
Contact Heather Darbonne at (806)
274-3228 or e-mail
jwhite@ducks.org.
Jan. 28: Linden/Atlanta DU dinner
at the Atlanta Country Club. DU
members are invited to enjoy the
closing weekend of duck season.
Contact: John Kirkland; Brian Cave
at (903) 756-3392, (903) 8462115 or e-mail ythomas@ducks.org.
February: Texas Freshwater Fisheries
Center Trout Harvest in Athens.
Every Tuesday through Sunday.
Catch and keep trout from our
fishing pond. Equipment and bait
provided, no fishing license required
and no size limit. Times are 9 a.m.4 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday, 1-4 p.m.
Sunday; $5 fee for up to five fish
per person. The regular entrance
fees apply; call (903) 676-Bass.
Feb. 2: Chaparral WMA — 8th
Annual Prescribed Burning Seminar.
Topics are geared toward private
landowners and include rules for
prescribed burning in Texas,
planning a burn and conducting it
safely, the role of summer fire,
prescribed burning associations in
managing invasive woody plants and
other topics. Weather permitting, a
burn will be conducted and a tour of
previous burns on the WMA and
range plant identification will be
given. Registration fee of $10
includes lunch; pre-registration
required by Jan. 30. Call (830)
676-3413 for more information.
Feb. 3: Rusk Co./Henderson DU
dinner at the National Guard Armory.
Contact: Ronald Ellis at phone
Feb. 4: East Texas Nation DU
Volunteer Appreciation Day, National
Guard Armory-Henderson, 600
Sands Ave. at the Lake Forest Park
entrance. This event is to honor all
East Texas DU volunteers. Activities
will include national raffle packages
with prizes such as a Yamaha 4wheeler and a War-Eagle boat and
trailer. One of the packages from
No. 1 to No. 87 will be given away
for our location in Henderson. You
must be present to win the national
prize packages. Find more
information and register online at
www.ducks.org. Contact Yazoo
Thomas at (936) 368-7263 or
ythomas@ducks.org.
Feb. 4: South Texas National DU
Volunteer Appreciation Day at
Cabela’s in Buda. Doors will open at
12:30 p.m. in the upstairs Whitetail
Conference Room. There is no cost
to attend this event. Food and
beverages will be provided, courtesy
of Cabela’s. Our activities will
include national raffle packages.
One of the packages from #11 to
#87 will be given away for our
location at Cabela’s. You must be
present to win the national prize
packages. Contact Todd Willingham
at (830) 624-7913 or
twillingham@ducks.org.
Feb. 4: North Texas National
Volunteer Appreciation Day in
Grapevine at the Lancaster Theater,
300 South Main St. Doors will open
around noon, with a live broadcast
at 1 p.m. The event is free and food
and beverages will be provided.
National prize packages will be
given away. Contact Jim Lillis for
more information at (903) 8919011 or jlillis@ducks.org.
Feb. 4: Texas Parks and Wildlife’s
Basic Fishing Clinic in Beaumont.
This clinic will give families a
chance to learn the basics of
fishing, including knot tying,
casting, safety, regulations and
more. Held at Gander Mountain,
5855 Eastex Freeway. Class size
limited to 25; available to ages 10
and above; parents must accompany
children; times are from 1-4 p.m.;
registration required; contact Mary
Davis at (409) 866-0490.
Feb. 4: The Texas Freshwater
Fisheries Center in Athens will host
another in a series of fly-fishing
clinics from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. The
class is open to adults 18 and
older. No fly-fishing experience is
required. Equipment will be
provided, but students may bring
their own. The $50 fee includes
entrance to TFFC for the day of the
class, lunch and a season pass to
TFFC so students can return for
more fishing as often as they like.
Reservations are required, and the
class is limited to 20. To register
call Barry St. Clair at (903) 6702222.
Feb. 4: Basic Fishing Instructor
Course in Brownsville. This free
class will provide participants with
hands-on activities, instructional
materials and access to equipment
to teach youth and adults basic
fishing skills. Held at the University
of Texas at Brownsville. Wear
comfortable clothing and bring a
O Y S T E R S
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sack lunch and drink. Class size is
limited; 9 a.m.-2 p.m.; preregistration required. Contact Dr. Rey
Ramirez at Reynaldo.Ramirez
@utb.edu or (956) 882-8979.
Feb. 4: Coleto Creek Reservoir and
Park angler education instructor
course. Free workshop open to those
17 or older interested in teaching
the basics of fishing. The program
provides the curriculum, equipment,
materials and support to help
volunteers introduce youth and
families to fishing. Time is 10 a.m.-3
p.m.; preregistration required,
contact Charles Schons at cfschons@
awesomenet.net or (361) 575-8600.
Feb. 4: Mexica DU banquet. Contact
Ivan Jackson, Jr. at (254) 562-7117
or e-mail him at westernauto
@glade.net.
Feb. 4: Bastrop County DU dinner.
Contact David Long at (512) 3033376 or e-mail him at dlong@
dwhomes.com.
Feb. 4-5: Chaparral WMA — YouthOnly Javelina Hunt. Youth must be
accompanied by adult, but only
youth may hunt; no fee is charged.
Permits issued by drawing; standby
applicants must be present by 10
a.m. first day of hunt. Call (830)
676-3413 for more information.
Feb. 5-8: Kickapoo Cavern SP
sched-uled hunts, 10 p.m. Feb. 5 to
2 p.m. Feb. 8; call (830) 563-2342.
Feb. 9: Jasper DU dinner at the
Jasper VFW. Auction to include guns,
prints and decoys. Contact Ryan
Powell, Reagen Clotiaux at (936)
671-0171or 409-384-7005.
Feb. 11: Jefferson DU dinner at the
FFW Hall. Contact Richard Kale at
(903) 938-8202 or e-mail him at
gstone@marshallpd.com.
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CASH PAID for rods, reels & lures.
I buy freshwater, saltwater, old or
new; so clean out that garage and
get you some CASH! Beckett
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RANCHES
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Page 18 January 27, 2006
FISHING REPORT
CENTRAL
BASTROP: Water stained. Black bass are fair on
white spinnerbaits and shallow diving crankbaits
over grass. Crappie are fair on minnows and small
green tube jigs. Channel and blue catfish are fair on
punchbait and nightcrawlers. Yellow catfish are slow.
BELTON: Water murky; 69 degrees; 3.01' low. Black
bass are fair on white/silver Rat-L-Traps and deep
diving crankbaits. Hybrid striper are slow. White bass
are good on minnows and watermelon red striper
jigs. Crappie are good on minnows. Channel and
blue catfish are fair on stinkbait and chicken livers.
Yellow catfish are slow.
BROWNWOOD: Water stained; 50 degrees; 2.45'
low. Black bass to 6 pounds are good on black/blue
StrikeWorks jigs, white spinnerbaits, and plum apple
Zoom worms in the main lake, and 200 series
Alabama Shad colored Persuader Stealth shad
crankbaits on main lake flats. Hybrid striper to 7
pounds are excellent on 300 series Alabama shad
colored Persuader crankbaits under lights at dawn.
White bass are fair on small tube jigs and Li'l Fishies
at night under lights. Crappie are fair on small tube
jigs and minnows in 12 - 18 feet. Catfish are slow.
BUCHANAN: Water clear; 51 degrees; 7.50' low.
Black bass are slow to fair on motor oil Devil's
Tongues on drop shot rigs, watermelon/red Carolina
rigged Snap Back creature baits, and JDC Craws on
jigheads along ledges and secondary creek points in
12 - 25 feet. Striped bass are good trolling
white/chartreuse striper jigs, swimming Snap Back
jerkbaits on RED Bait Jerker hooks, jigging silver
Perk Minnows, and drifting live bait along the main
river channel up the lake from The Willows. White
bass are slow to fair on 2” Spoiler Shads, jigging
1/8oz. Tiny Traps, and Perk Minnows on the outside
of main lake creek points in 20 - 30 feet. Crappie
are slow to fair on minnows. Channel catfish are
slow. Yellow and blue catfish are slow
CANYON LAKE: Water clear; 52 degrees; 2.49' low.
Black bass are fair on Texas rigged 6” green/pumpkin Scoundrel worms, pumpkin Snap Back lizards,
and creature baits in submerged timber on main
lake points in 10 - 25 feet. Striped bass are fair on
3” Spoiler Shads and vertically jigging Perk Minnows
from Comal Park down the lake. White bass are fair
jigging Pirk Minnows, Tiny Traps, and Li'l Georges in
20 - 30 foot channels. Smallmouth bass are good on
3” smoke JDC Craws and brown hair jigs with pork
strip trailers over rock piles and along deep-water
ledges. Crappie are fair but mostly small on minnows
at the fishing dock. Channel catfish are slow. Yellow
and blue catfish are slow.
COLEMAN: Water clear; 49 degrees; 2.08' low.
Black bass are slow. Hybrid striper are slow. Crappie
are slow. Channel and blue catfish are slow. Yellow
catfish are slow.
COLORADO RIVER: (At Colorado Bend State Park)
Water murky. Black bass are slow. Striped bass are
fair on white/green spinnerbaits and Rat-L-Traps.
White bass are good on silver and white striper jigs.
Crappie are fair on minnows and chartreuse tube
jigs. Catfish are slow.
DUNLAP/MCQUEENY: Water murky; 58 degrees.
Black bass are good on crawdad colored Storm
Wiggle Warts, Fred Arbogast Mud-Bugs, Black
Oldham's Jigs with Reaction Innovations black miniskirts, Texas rigged 7.5” Red Shad Berkley Power
Worms, and 3” Black Power Craws under docks near
the channel in 10 - 15 feet. White bass are excellent on live minnows and 1/8oz. White Curb's
Crappie jigs at night under green lights in 8 - 20
feet. Crappie are slow. Channel and blue catfish are
fair on cut shad, dead shad, and nightcrawlers in
swift water upriver at the powerhouse, and in front of
the Ski Lodge in 10 - 15 feet. Yellow catfish are
slow.
FAYETTE: Water clear; 64 degrees. Black bass are
good on white and white/chartreuse spinnerbaits and
wacky worms over grass in 3 - 8 feet. Channel and
blue catfish are very good on stinkbait and peeled
shrimp dipped in attractant on ridges over baited
holes in 12 - 16 feet.
GRANBURY: Water stained; 0.49' low. Black bass
are fair on silver and white Rat-L-Traps and spinnerbaits. Striped bass are slow. White bass are fair on
minnows and silver striper jigs. Crappie are fair on
minnows and chartreuse tube jigs. Catfish are good
on liver, frozen shrimp, and stinkbait.
GRANGER: Water murky; 52 degrees; 0.17' low.
Black bass are slow. White bass are fair on white
twister tail jigs up the river among shad. Crappie are
fair on jigs in deep-water brush piles. Blue catfish
are good on fresh shad in the Friendship Park area.
Yellow catfish are slow.
LBJ: Water stained to clear; 52 degrees. Black bass
are fair on Texas rigged watermelon/red Craw Tubes,
black/blue _oz. Terminator Pro Series jigs with pork
trailers, and 5” JDC Craws over brushpiles and laydowns in 6 - 12 feet. Striped bass are fair early on
Spoiler Shads and soft jerkbaits on RED Bait Jerker
hooks along channel turns and creek points. White
bass are slow. Crappie are fair on minnows under
heated/enclosed boat docks. Channel catfish are
slow. Yellow and blue catfish are slow.
NAVARRO MILLS: Water fairly clear; 4.07' low.
Black bass are fair on yellow/white spinnerbaits and
crankbaits. White bass are slow. Crappie are fair on
minnows. Channel and blue catfish are good on
stinkbait and chicken livers. Yellow catfish are slow.
PROCTOR: Water stained; 46 degrees; 5.24' low.
Black bass are fair on white/pink/salmon deep diving
crankbaits and jigs. Striped bass are good deep on
white jigs with trailers. White bass are slow. Crappie
are good on minnows and tube jigs. Channel and
blue catfish are fair on stinkbait, nightcrawlers, and
shad. Yellow catfish are slow.
SOMERVILLE: Water murky; 3.07' low. Black bass
are slow. Hybrid striper are slow. White bass are
good on shad and silver Rat-L-Traps in 5 - 7 feet.
Crappie are slow. Channel and blue catfish are good
on stinkbait. Yellow catfish are slow.
STILLHOUSE: Water clear; 56 degrees; 0.86' low.
Black bass are good on watermelon seed and pumpkinseed crankbaits. White bass are slow. Smallmouth
bass are slow. Crappie are fair on minnows at night.
Channel and blue catfish are fair on hot dogs, shrimp,
and minnows. Carp are good on corn. Yellow catfish
are slow.
TRAVIS: Water clear; 57 degrees; 17.20' low. Black
bass to 3.5 pounds are good on green pumpkin tubes
and chrome Radar 13 crankbaits in 12 - 30 feet.
Striped bass are slow. White bass to 1 pound are fair
on CC spoons and minnows in 22 - 35 feet. Crappie to
12” are fair on minnows and roadrunner jigs in 14 27 feet. Channel and blue catfish are slow. Yellow catfish are slow.
WALTER E. LONG: Water clear; 60 degrees. Black
bass are good on Black Salty baitfish. Hybrid striper
are slow. White bass are good on minnows and white
spinnerbaits. Crappie are good on minnows. Channel
and blue catfish are fair on nightcrawlers, shrimp, and
punchbait. Yellow catfish are slow.
WHITNEY: Water clear; 5.97' low. Black bass are slow.
Striped bass are fair on pumpkinseed and watermelon
seed striper jigs and live bait. White bass are fair on
minnows and silver jigging spoons. Crappie are fair on
minnows. Catfish are good on stinkbait, minnows, and
nightcrawlers.
NORTHEAST
ATHENS: Water clear, 48-52 degrees; 2.77' low. Black
bass are fair on crankbaits and red Rat-L-Traps in 8-10
feet. Bream are fair on live worms. Crappie are fair on
minnows and jigs. Catfish are fair to good on prepared
baits.
BOB SANDLIN: Water clear; 49-52 degrees; 6.04' low.
Black bass are fair on watermelon/red Brush Hogs
fished in 6-8 feet. White bass are fair on small jigging
spoons in the major creek channels. Crappie are good
on jigs and minnows fished around man-made brushpiles in 18 - 23 feet. Catfish are good on chicken livers fished around cormorant roost.
CADDO: Water fairly clear; 52-58 degrees; 1.23 low.
Black bass are fair to good on black/blue jigs and
white spinnerbait fished around trees in 3-5 feet.
Crappie are good on white/pink head 1/16 oz. jigs
fished on the edges of the main channel. Catfish are
fair on limb lines with cut bait.
CEDAR CREEK: Water clear; 50-54 degrees; 4.75'
low. White bass are good on jigging spoons. Hybrid
striper are good on Sassy Shad under the birds. Catfish
are good on cut bait and Danny King's Punch Bait.
jigs. Catfish are fair to good on prepared baits and
Black Salty baitfish.
FAIRFIELD: Water clear; 69-80 degrees. Black bass
are good on white Senkos and Pop-R's fished above
the grass on secondary points, later switching to
Carolina-rigged junebug lizards fished off the edges of
the grass in 5 - 9 feet. Hybrid striper are slow on
white/chartreuse TailHummers and live shad on main
lake points. Redfish are slow on CP Special
TailHummers and live shad in the inlet cove and
around the dam. Catfish are fair on prepared baits and
live shad on main lake flats.
FORK: Water clear; 48-50 degrees; 4.33' low. Black
bass are slow along the main lake grass lines on _ oz.
crawdad or red with chartreuse belly Rat-L-Traps and
firetiger spinnerbaits. Crappie are fair on minnows in
24-26 feet on deeper flats. Catfish are good on prepared baits and Black Salty baitfish in 26-30 feet.
RAY HUBBARD: Water fairly clear; 49-55 degrees;
4.34' low. Black bass are fair on chrome Rat-L-Traps,
spinnerbaits and Carolina-rigged black/blue worms.
Crappie are slow to fair on minnows and jigs in the
marinas and around bridge columns. White bass are
fair on slabs and minnows. Hybrid striper are fair on
slabs over humps. Catfish are fair on prepared baits.
RAY ROBERTS: Water clear; 50-55 degrees; 3.68' low.
Black bass are slow to fair on chrome or shad medium
diving crankbaits, black/blue jigs and spinnerbaits.
Crappie are good on minnows and jigs in and around
the marina in the empty boat slips. White bass are
good on jigging spoons in 30 - 35 feet on main lake
shelves close to deep water, near the points. Catfish are
slow.
RICHLAND CHAMBERS: Water stained; 49-54
degrees; 5.33' low. Black bass are slow to fair on
crankbaits and jigs. White bass are fair to good on
white or chartreuse slabs and TailHummers. Crappie
are slow on minnows and jigs in 18-24 feet around
brush piles. Catfish are fair drift fishing shad in 12-20
feet.
TAWAKONI: Water stained; 50-54 degrees; 8.41' low.
Black bass are slow. Crappie are fair on jigs and minnows around pylons. White bass are fair to good on
white or chartreuse slabs fished close to bottom on
humps and ridges. Striped bass and hybrid striper are
fair on 4” Sassy Shad and slabs. Catfish are good on
shad and prepared baits.
TEXOMA: Water clear; 49-54 degrees; 2.76' low. Black
bass are fair on jigs and soft plastics fished around
boat slips. Smallmouth bass are fair on crawfish pattern crankbaits and jigging spoons around vertical rock
structure. Crappie are fair on minnows around boathouses. Striped bass are slow to fair on live shad, slabs
and Sassy Shad. Blue catfish are fair on cut shad and
prepared baits.
WEATHERFORD: Water stained; 49-52 degrees; 7' low.
Black bass are fair. Crappie are good in the fishing
barge and marina boat slips on white head/chartreuse
body/orange tail jigs and minnows. Catfish are slow.
White bass are poor. Bream are good on worms. The
new boat ramp is open, but with the low water level
boaters are advised to exercise caution.
AMISTAD: Water fairly clear; 56 degrees. Black bass
are good on watermelon seed red heavy jigs on drop
shot rigs. Striped bass are good on silver slabs and silver/red striper jigs up the Rio Grande. White bass are
good on silver slabs and silver/white striper jigs up the
Rio Grande. Crappie are slow. Channel and blue catfish
are slow. Yellow catfish are slow.
BRAUNIG: Water stained; 88 degrees. Black bass are
slow. Striped bass are fair on chicken livers on the bottom, and down rigging spoons in 15 - 25 feet. Redfish
are fair on perch and tilapia on the bottom, and down
rigging spoons in 15 - 25 feet. Channel and blue catfish are good on liver, shrimp, and shad. Yellow catfish
are slow.
JOE POOL: Water stained; 50-54 degrees; 3.86' low.
Black bass are fair on watermelon/red flake and junebug Carolina-rigged worms. Crappie are fair on minnows
over brushpiles and around bridge pilings in 25 feet.
White bass are fair on chrome or chartreuse slabs, jigging spoons and pearl TailHummers. Catfish are good
on cut shad drifted next to creek channels.
LAKE O' THE PINES: Water stained; 49-53 degrees;
4.37' low. Black bass are fair on jigging spoons and
Rat-L-Traps. Crappie are good on minnows and jigs in
20-25 feet (fishermen keep first 25 crappie, regardless
of size, December thru February). Yellow bass are good
on minnows and jigs in 35 feet. Blue catfish are fair on
trotlines with goldfish and shiners.
COLETO CREEK: Water clear; 63 degrees (76 degrees
at hot water discharge); 2.69' low. Black bass are
excellent on spinnerbaits, crankbaits, and soft plastics
in 8 feet. Striped bass are slow. White bass are slow.
Crappie are slow. Channel and blue catfish are good on
trotlines baited with live perch in 12 feet. Yellow catfish are slow.
LAVON: Water stained; 49-55 degrees; 10.05' low.
Black bass are slow to fair on Carolina rigged watermelon candy Brush Hogs and brown/orange crankbaits.
Crappie are fair on minnows and jigs. White bass are
fair on Road Runners and slabs. Catfish are fair on cut
bait.
FALCON: Water lightly stained; 63 degrees. Black bass
are good on watermelon red and red bug soft plastic
worms, and chartreuse/white spinnerbaits. Striped bass
are slow. Crappie are slow. Channel and blue catfish
are excellent on cutbait, stinkbait, and frozen shrimp.
Yellow catfish are slow. Mexican fishing licenses and
boat permits are required to fish in Mexican waters.
Everyone in the boat must have a Mexico Fishing
License whether fishing or not.
LEWISVILLE: Water stained; 50-54 degrees; 7.58' low.
Black bass are slow on suspending rogues, spinnerbaits
and soft plastics. Crappie are fair on brown/blue jigs
and minnows. Catfish are good on liver and cut shad in
the creeks along bends and humps.
MARTIN CREEK: Water clear; 57 degrees mid lake 80 degrees at the hot water discharge; 5.94' low. Black
bass are fair on chartreuse spinnerbaits and black neon
worms. Crappie are good on minnows and jigs. Catfish
are fair on bloodbait.
MONTICELLO: Water fairly clear; 50-54 degrees; 0.46'
low. Black bass are fair to good on Carolina and drop
shot rigged sour grape or watermelon/chartreuse french
fries in 16 - 22 feet. Crappie are fair on minnows and
CONROE: Water stained; 3.63' low. Black bass are fair
on blue/white spinnerbaits, crankbaits, and Rat-LTraps. Striped bass are fair on live bait. Crappie are
good on minnows and green tube jigs. Catfish are fair
on stinkbait and shrimp.
GIBBONS CREEK: Water stained. Black bass are fair
on watermelon seed soft plastic worms, lizards, and
crankbaits. Crappie are fair on minnows and blue/red
tube jigs. Catfish are fair on shrimp, minnows, and
stinkbait.
HOUSTON COUNTY: Water stained; 56 degrees; 0.14'
high. Black bass are fair on sour grape Trick worms
east of the marina in 5 - 10 feet. Crappie are fair on
live minnows near the spillway on the bottom in 28
feet. Catfish are slow.
LIVINGSTON: Water murky; 53 degrees; 4.22' low.
Black bass to 3.5 pounds are good on black/blue
crankbaits and spinnerbaits. Striped bass are slow.
White bass are slow. Crappie are good on minnows.
Channel and blue catfish are very good on cutbait and
prepared baits. Yellow catfish are slow.
SAM RAYBURN: Water lightly stained; 64 degrees;
4.70' low. Black bass are good on watermelon red and
watermelon seed spinnerbaits and soft plastic worms
over grass and brush. Crappie are fair on minnows and
chartreuse tube jigs.
TOLEDO BEND: Water clear; 65 degrees; 8.82' low.
Black bass are good on pumpkinseed Rat-L-Traps and
crankbaits, watermelon seed soft plastic lizards, and
crawfish colored crankbaits over grass and in creeks.
Crappie are good on live minnows over brush and grass
in 15 - 20 feet. Catfish are fair on stinkbait, shrimp,
and chicken livers.
PANHANDLE
BAYLOR: Water lightly stained; 51 degrees. Black bass
are slow. Crappie are slow. Catfish are slow.
GREENBELT: Water lightly stained; 41 degrees; 21.35'
low. Black bass are fair on jigs and Carolina-rigged
watermelon soft plastics along main lake points in
afternoon. Crappie are fair on jigs and minnows. White
bass are good on live bait. Smallmouth bass are fair on
live bait. Walleye are fair on live bait and jerkbaits.
Catfish are fair on chicken liver.
MACKENZIE: Water lightly stained; 40 degrees; 67'
low. Black bass are fair on live bait. Crappie are fair on
minnows and jigs. White bass and striped bass are
good on live bait. Smallmouth bass are fair. Walleye are
good on minnows and bottom bouncers. Catfish are fair
on cut shad.
MEREDITH: Water lightly stained; 43 degrees; 24.5'
low. Black bass are slow. Crappie are fair on minnows
and jigs. White bass are fair on live bait near rocky
points. Smallmouth bass are fair on jerkbaits and live
bait. Walleye are fair on bottom bouncers and live bait.
Channel catfish are fair.
PALO DURO: Water lightly stained; 39 degrees; 42.75'
low. Black bass are slow. Crappie are fair on jigs and
minnows. Smallmouth bass are fair. Walleye are slow
fair on minnows. Catfish are fair on prepared baits.
WEST
CALAVERAS: Water stained; 86 degrees. Black bass
are slow. Striped bass are fair on chicken livers and silver spoons near the dam. Redfish are slow. Crappie are
slow. Channel catfish are good on liver, shrimp, and
nightcrawlers. Blue catfish are fair on liver and nightcrawlers. Yellow catfish are slow.
CHOKE CANYON: Water stained; 55 degrees; 3.16'
low. Black bass to 9 pounds are good on white/yellow
Nichols spinnerbaits with matching blades, black/blue
flake 10" YUM Rib Worms, and green pumpkin/purple
and watermelon blue fleck 7" YUM Zellamander lizards
on Falcon weighted hooks in backs of coves, along
rocky ledges in the main lake, and upriver in 2 - 8 feet.
White bass are good vertically jigging chartreuse
Berkley Blade Dancers, Bomber slabs, and white jigs
tipped with live minnows at night around main lake
points, at the mouth of the river, and around the Hwy.
99 bridge in 5 - 10 feet. Crappie are fair on chartreuse
Curb's crappie jigs tipped with live minnows over
brushpiles and standing timber in 6 - 15 feet. Channel
and blue catfish to 6 pounds are fair on Lewis King
punchbait, large minnows, and Black Salty baitfish in
10 - 20 feet. Yellow catfish to 20 pounds are fair on
trotlines and juglines baited with hybrid bluegills and
Black Salty baitfish.
GRAPEVINE: Water stained; 52-57 degrees; 6.98' low.
Black bass are fair on shad pattern or chartreuse
crankbaits, gold/orange jerkbaits, drop shot rigs and
Rayburn red lipless crankbaits. Spotted bass are fair
on jerkbaits along the dam. Crappie are good on minnows and jigs in deep water. White bass are good on
yellow or white slabs and tail-kickers fished under the
birds and around the aerator. Catfish are fair on cut
bait.
striper are fair on minnows. Catfish are fair on cut
shad.
SOUTHEAST
PALESTINE: Water clear; 49-54 degrees; 3.45' low.
Black bass are fair on Rat-L-Traps and chartreuse spinnerbaits. Crappie are good on minnows and jigs.
Catfish are fair on prepared baits and cut shad. White
bass are fair on slabs and Rat-L-Traps. Hybrid striper
are fair on shad and Sassy Shad.
SOUTH
COOPER: Water stained; 49-52 degrees; 12.02' low.
Black bass are slow on jigging spoons and black/blue
jigs. Crappie are slow on brush piles and standing timber in 10-18 feet on minnows. White bass are slow.
Catfish are fair to good along creek channels on prepared baits. Due to the low level of the lake, boaters
are advised to use extreme caution.
very good on juglines baited with perch and goldfish.
MEDINA: Water stained; 54 degrees; 10.86' low. Black
bass to 4 pounds are fair on drop shot rigged watermelon red flake Zoom Super Fluke Jr's, magic craw red
Reaction Innovations Flirts, and crawfish jigs with
matching trailers along main lake points in 10 - 20
feet. Striped bass are slow. White bass are very good
vertically jigging chrome/blue Pirk minnows and live
minnows in backs of coves, and on chrome/blue shad
raps and gay blades upriver. Crappie are good on live
minnows and white crappie jigs around brushpiles and
standing timber at night under lights in 10 - 25 feet.
Channel and blue catfish to 6 pounds are fair on Lewis
King punchbait, shrimp dipped in chicken blood, and
Black Salty baitfish. Yellow catfish to 20 pounds are
ALAN HENRY: Water lightly stained; 44 degrees. Black
bass are fair on black/chartreuse jigs fished tight to
cover. Crappie are fair on minnows and jigs.
ARROWHEAD: Water lightly stained; 51 degrees; 1.9'
low. Black bass are slow on spinnerbaits in back of
coves and creeks. Crappie are fair on minnows and jigs
near derricks about 17' and at Henrietta Bridge, Deer
Creek and State Park. White bass are fair on shad-imitation baits east of State Park and at mouth of Sailboat
Cove. Blue catfish are good on cut shad, prepared baits
and juglines on upper end of lake near cormorant roost
sites.
COLORADO CITY: Water clear; 58 degrees. Black bass
are slow. Crappie are fair on minnows and jigs. White
bass are fair. Redfish are slow. Catfish are fair.
FT. PHANTOM HILL: Water clear; 56 degrees; 4.55'
low. Black bass are slow. Crappie are fair on minnows
and jigs. White bass are fair. Catfish are fair.
HUBBARD CREEK: Water lightly stained; 54 degrees;
9.5' low. Black bass are slow. Crappie are fair on jigs
and minnows. White bass and hybrid striper are fair.
Catfish are fair on live bait.
NASWORTHY: Water lightly stained; 55 degrees. Black
bass are slow. Crappie are fair on live bait. Redfish are
fair. White bass and striped bass are good on minnows.
Catfish are fair on live bait and punch bait.
OAK CREEK: Water lightly stained; 52 degrees; 18.65'
low. Black bass are slow. Crappie are fair on minnows
and jigs. Catfish are fair on worms and chicken liver.
No boat ramps open. 4x4 vehicles can unload on the
dirt road near the dam.
OH. IVIE: Water lightly stained; 55 degrees; 16.65'
low. Black bass are fair on live bait. Crappie are fair on
minnows and jigs. White bass are fair on live bait.
Smallmouth bass are fair on live bait. Channel catfish
are slow.
POSSUM KINGDOM: Water clear; 53 degrees; 3.5' low.
Black bass are fair in Rock Creek area. White bass are
good in Bluff Creek and Neely's Slough. Striped bass
are fair near piers in Willow Beach area. Blue and
channel catfish are fair in the upper part of reservoir.
Rainbow Trout are good below the dam near Highway
16 Bridge with another release of 2,250 on January 6.
SPENCE: Water lightly stained; 53 degrees; 45.55'
low. Black bass are slow. Crappie are slow on minnows
and jigs. White bass are fair. Striped bass and hybrid
STAMFORD: Water lightly stained; 50 degrees; Black
bass are slow. Crappie are fair on jigs and minnows.
White and striped bass are fair. Catfish are fair on
chicken liver.
SWEETWATER: Water lightly stained; 47 degrees;
31.7' low. Black bass are slow. Crappie are fair on minnows and jigs. White bass are fair. Catfish are fair.
WHITE RIVER: Water lightly stained; 46 degrees;
22.65' low. Black bass are slow. Crappie are fair on jigs
and minnows. Walleye are fair. Channel catfish are fair
on live bait.
WICHITA: Water muddy; 51 degrees; .5' low. Crappie
are slow. White bass and hybrid striped bass are fair on
large minnows and white twister-tails along dam, near
spillway and trolling. Channel catfish are fair on bait
shrimp, punch bait or trotlines.
COASTAL
NORTH SABINE: Trout are fair to good while drifting
scattered shell in the middle of the lake on glow Sand
Eels, Bass Assassins and Trout Killers. Redfish are
good around the warm water discharge on shrimp and
gold spoons.
SOUTH SABINE: Trout are fair to good on the Reef on
glow, plum, red shad and black Sand Eels, Bass
Assassins and Trout Killers. Trout, croakers, sand trout
and black drum are fair to good at the causeway at
night on live shrimp and DOA Shrimp.
BOLIVAR: Trout, redfish and flounder are fair in the
marsh cuts on mud minnows and shrimp. Redfish,
black drum and whiting are fair in the surf on shrimp
and cut mullet.
TRINITY BAY: Trout are fair to good drifting shell in 3-5
feet of water on limetreuse, plum, bone and red shad
Trout Killers, Red Killers, Bass Assassins and Sand
Eels. Redfish, black drum, croaker and flounder are fair
to good on shrimp in the cuts and at the Spillway.
EAST GALVESTON BAY: Trout are fair to good on midbay reefs on live shrimp and under a popping cork and
glow and plum Hogies, Red Killers, Bass Assassins and
Sand Eels. Whiting, redfish and black drum are good
along the jetty on fresh dead shrimp.
WEST GALVESTON BAY: Trout are fair to good on glow,
pumpkinseed and red shad Bass Assassins, Sand Eels
and Trout Killers around Meacom's and Green's Cut.
Trout are fair to good while wading mud bottoms on
MirrOlures and Corkies.
TEXAS CITY: Whiting, sand trout, black drum and
sheepshead are fair to good on fresh dead shrimp from
the dike. Redfish and black drum are fair on crabs and
mullet at the jetty.
FREEPORT: Redfish and black drum are fair to good at
San Luis Pass, the mouth of the New River, the Boilers
and Christmas Bay on finger mullet and shrimp.
Whiting are good in the surf on shrimp.
EAST MATAGORDA: Trout are fair to good over shell
and along the mud shorelines on Corkies and fire tiger,
red shad and glow Bass Assassins, Red Killers, Sand
Eels and Trout Killers. Redfish and black drum are fair
to good on the reefs on live shrimp under a popping
cork.
MATAGORDA: Trout are fair to good while drifting deep
shell on fire tiger, pumpkinseed and red shad Sand
Eels, Red Killers and Bass Assassins. Redfish are fair
to good in the Diversion Channel on shrimp and mullet.
Trout are fair to good at night in the Colorado River on
tandem- rigged DOA Shrimp and glow beetles.
PORT O'CONNOR: Trout are fair to good on the shell
reefs in San Antonio and Espiritu Santo Bay on
glow/chartreuse and plum Trout Killers, Red Killers,
Bass Assassins and Sand Eels. Whiting, redfish, black
drum and sheepshead are fair to good on shrimp at the
jetty.
ROCKPORT: Trout and redfish are fair to good on limetreuse and bone Trout Killers, Bass Assassins, Norton
Sand Eels and shrimp around Traylor Island and Mud
Island. Redfish are fair to good on the Estes Flats on
shrimp and She Dogs.
PORT ARANSAS: Sheepshead and trout are good off
the jetty on live shrimp under a popping cork. Redfish
and whiting are fair to good in the surf on peeled
shrimp.
CORPUS CHRISTI: Trout are fair to good while drifting
scattered shell in Nueces Bay on glow, plum, black and
red shad Trout Killers, Bass Assassins and Sand Eels.
Redfish and black drum are fair on crabs and mullet in
the holes.
BAFFIN BAY: Trout and redfish are fair to good while
drifting the grass beds adjacent to the Intracoastal on
glow, plum and red shad Trout Killers, Bass Assassins
and Sand Eels. Trout are fair to good at Yarborough and
Rocky Slough on Corkies, MirrOlures and glow soft
plastics.
PORT MANSFIELD: Trout and redfish are fair to good
while drifting grass beds on bone or glow Red Killers,
Bass Assassins and Sand Eels. Trout are fair to good at
night in the Land Cut on DOA Shrimp and glow Bass
Assassins.
SOUTH PADRE: Redfish are fair to good on gold
spoons over grass beds adjacent to the Intracoastal.
Trout are fair on the ledges of the Intracoastal on live
shrimp and DOA Shrimp.
PORT ISABEL: Trout and redfish are fair to good at
Unnecessary Island on plum and glow Red Killers and
Bass Assassins. Redfish, black drum and sheepshead
are fair to good at the jetty on shrimp and mullet.
Advertisement
SPORTS TECH NEWS — 2006
New lure’s catch rate may be too high for some
tournaments.
Out-fishes other bait 19 to
4 in one contest.
Uses aerospace technology
to mimic a real fish.
ORLANDO, FL— A small company in Connecticut has developed a
new lure that mimics the motion of
a real fish so realistically eight professionals couldn’t tell the difference between it and a live shad
when it “swam”
toward them on
retrieval. The design
eliminates wobbling,
angled swimming and
other
unnatural
motions that problem
other hard bait lures. It
by Charlie Allen
swims upright and
appears to propel
itself with its tail.
Curiously, the company may
have designed it too well.
Tournament fishermen who have
used it said it’s possible officials
will not allow it in contests where
live bait is prohibited. They claim
it swims more realistically than
anything they have ever seen. If
so, that would hurt the company’s
promotional efforts. Winning
tournaments is an important part
of marketing a new lure.
Fish would probably prefer to
see it restricted. I watched eight
veteran fishermen test the new lure
(called The KickTail®) on a lake
outside Orlando FL for about four
hours. Four used the KickTail and
four used a combination of their
favorite lures
and
shiners
(live bait). The
four using the KickTail caught 41
fish versus 14 for the other four. In
one boat the KickTail won 19 to 4.
The KickTail also caught bigger
fish, which suggests it triggers
larger, less aggressive fish to
strike. You can see why the company needs to get it into tournaments. An almost 3 to 1 advantage
can mean thousands of dollars to a
fisherman, and hundreds of thousands in sales to the company.
The KickTail’s magic comes
from a patented technology that
breaks the tail into five segments.
As water rushes by on retrieval, a
little-known principle called aeronautical flutter causes the tail to wag
left and right, as if the lure were propelling itself with its tail. Unlike
other hard baits, the head remains
stationary—only the tail wags. A
company
spokesman
told
me
this.
“Fish
attack live
things, and
they determine
if
something
is alive by
watching
its moveInventor Scott
ments.
Wilson lands a
Marine
10-pounder.
biologists
will tell
you that the more a lure swims like
a real fish, the more fish it will
catch. Well, the only live thing the
KickTail doesn’t do is breathe. It’s
better than live bait! It lasts longer
and it never hangs half-dead from
a hook. It’s always
swimming wild and
free. Fish can’t stand
it. We’ve seen fish
that have just eaten go
for the KickTail. It’s
like having another
potato chip.
Swims with
its tail.
Increases
catch
almost 3 to 1.
“To
make
the
KickTail even more
lifelike, we gave it a
natural shad color and
shaped it like the most
prevalent bait fish of all,
the threadfin. Game
fish gobble up more
threadfin shad than any
other baitfish.
“We knew the New lure swims like a real fish--nearly triples catch in
KickTail would out- Florida contest.
fish other lures. It
had to. Other lures
wobble their heads
and swim on an
crank bait that let’s you do tricks or chocolate shad (great for overangle. But 41 fish to 14? That’s like ‘walk the dog.’ Twitch it at cast days). One set costs $19.90;
huge! I tell you, in ten seconds deep levels and it gives an irre- both cost $39.80. There is also a
anyone who has fished a day in sistible, lifelike action. Other Super-10-Pack of five floaters
his life knows this little swim- lures ‘dig.’ And there’s no need and five divers that includes these
mer’s a home run. Fishermen for rattles. The five tail segments colors and three others for only
reserved thousands of KickTails click together as you pull it $79.95. You save $19.55! S/h is
before we produced it! Here, reel through the water, calling fish only $6.00 no matter how many
it in and watch it swim toward from a distance.”
you order.
you. Can you tell the difference
Whether you fish for fun or
To order call 1-800-873-4415
between it and a live fish? (I said profit, if you want a near 3 to 1 or click www.ngcsports.com
no.) Neither can the fish.
advantage, I would order now anytime or day or send a check or
“The flutter technology also before the KickTail becomes M.O. (or cc number and exp.
allows the KickTail to swim at the known. The company even guar- date) to NGC Sports (Dept. KXwater’s surface. Other top water antees a refund, if you don’t catch 92), 60 Church Street, Yalesville,
lures must be worked to have any more fish and return the lures CT 06492. CT add sales tax. The
live action, or have a bill that within 30 days. The lures come in KickTail is four inches long and
makes them dive on retrieval. Our sets of two, a floater and a diver. works in salt and fresh water.
diver version is the only deep You can choose natural shad KX-1
© NGC Worldwide, Inc. 2006 Dept. KX-92
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2384
RECORD REELS
• Six bearings • Six-pin centrifugal brake
• 6.3:1 gear ratio
• #RCN50, RCN60
5
83
LOW BACK BOAT SEAT
• Low back design
• Padded seat and back
• Assorted colors
• #Q34-1689G
BIG GAME
FISHING LINE
• Consistent performance,
toughness, strength and
castability all in one line
SPECIAL PURCHASE!*
7863
Everyday Low Price...83.67
515 FISHFINDER
• Real Time Sonar™
• High definition 240V x 160H 4-in. FSTN display
• Sonar Echo Enhancement™
• Tilting and swiveling quick disconnect mount system
• Temperature included in transducer
• Speed capable
*Limited stock on hand.
• #406080-1
No rain checks, please.
14
93
Everyday Low
Price...18.86
110-VOLT ELECTRIC
FISHERMAN FILLET KNIFE
•
•
•
•
2483
58
World’s favorite electric fish fillet knife
Dual-oscillating, 7-in. stainless steel blades
Everyday Low Price...29.83
Quick, convenient blade release
PIRANHA SALTWATER
Lightweight, comfortable handle
ELECTRIC FILLET KNIFE
design for better control
• #MT-1208
• High-impact motor housing
• #MT1201
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ENDURA 30
TROLLING MOTOR
• Transom mount
• 30-in. composite shaft
• Lever lock bracket
• 6-in. telescoping handle
• 5/3 forward-reverse speed
• 12 volt
• #1352304
79
86
ENDURA 50-LB.
TROLLING MOTOR
183
• Transom mount
• 36-in. composite shaft
• Lever lock bracket
• 6-in. telescoping handle
• 12 volt
• #1352512
86